Modi regime and the disempowerment of ‘Other Backward Classes’

This paper examines the political position of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in the context of the rise of the BJP in general, and Narendra Modi in particular, between 2014 and 2024. Drawing on an original dataset on the social composition of the Union Cabinet and applying the concept of ‘effective political power’ developed in the paper, it analyses executive-level representation across successive governments. While the BJP has secured substantial electoral support among the OBCs during this period, our findings reveal that the backward classes have been disempowered substantially during the Modi regime, not only in comparison with the decade-long rule of the ‘United Progressive Alliance’ (UPA), but also relative to the rule of the first ‘National Democratic Alliance’ (1998-2004). At the same time, this paper documents a marked increase in the effective political power of the ‘upper’ castes, the scale of which has not been witnessed for over a quarter of a century. By distinguishing between electoral mobilization and executive authority, the paper highlights a structural decoupling between OBC electoral consolidation and executive-level political power in contemporary Indian politics.