Caste and Political Mobilization: a Study of the Patnis in Cachar District of Assam

There is a very close connection between social stratification and the political system. The system of social stratification provides a broad frame of reference for the functioning of the political system both in terms of selection of ends and adoption of means. David Easton defines politics as authoritative allocation of values. In this way politics mobilizes various existing allegiances in order to attain certain goals. The crucial connecting link between caste and political system is political party, association or movement. A political party consists of those whose entrepreneurial activities are essentially devoted to the recruitment of followers who attempt to modify the system either by participating in government or by directing their action against it. The main focus of the study is to identify whether the elite of the community who are recognized as the party members of both Indian National Congress (INC) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) think on predictable lines apprehending the community interest and weakness of the community. It is also interesting to find out whether as members a community, they are coincided or factionalized in their perception on the basis of party affiliations.