The vagaries of equidistance in a polarised polity: Data
Voters wait in queues to cast their vote for the Lok Sabha polls.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Regional parties have been a significant presence in Indian polity for over three decades now. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, they could be classified into three types — one, parties that allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party in the National Democratic Alliance; two, parties that were part of the INDIA bloc and a distinctive third category. This category includes parties that were technically not part of the NDA, and had, in the recent past, endorsed controversial legislations introduced by the BJP or adopted ideological positions closer to that of the BJP.The first category includes parties such as the Shiv Sena (led by Eknath Shinde), Janata Dal (United), Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal (Secular),...