From Identity to Policy: The Political Strategies of India’s Regional Parties

Regional parties have transformed the political landscape of India, emerging as decisive actors in both subnational governance and national coalition politics. This paper examines the electoral strategies, identity mobilization, and policy outcomes of regional parties through a comparative analysis of four states—Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Assam. Drawing on theories of multi-level governance, clientelism, and subnational welfare regimes, the study demonstrates that regional parties are far from homogenous: they range from programmatic welfare-oriented actors to identity-based mobilizers, with hybrid models in between. Tamil Nadu’s Dravidian parties institutionalized inclusive welfare regimes rooted in linguistic-cultural identity; Uttar Pradesh’s caste-centered competition produced fragmented welfare outcomes; West Bengal’s political shifts reveal the adaptability of hybrid electoral strategies; and Assam’s ethno-nationalist regionalism illustrates the limits of identity politics without sustained governance delivery. The analysis shows that organizational capacity and ideological orientation are key determinants of both electoral resilience and policy impact. The findings challenge assumptions about the parochial nature of subnational politics, highlighting the role of regional parties as both agents of democratic deepening and potential sources of political fragmentation in India’s federal democracy.