Which of the following statements about caste and politics are correc…

Which of the following statements about caste and politics are correct?

(A) From its very beginnings in independent India, democratic politics has been deeply conditioned by caste.
(B) In the early general elections, caste solidarities seemed to matter little.
(C) Caste remains central to electoral politics.
(D) Parties have competed in utilising the same kind of caste calculus.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → A, C and D only

(A) From its very beginnings in independent India, democratic politics has been deeply conditioned by caste. — Correct. From the very start of independent India, caste has shaped how democratic politics works.

(B) In the early general elections, caste solidarities seemed to matter little. — Incorrect. The feature is reversed. In the early general elections, it seemed that caste solidarities were decisive in winning elections.

(C) Caste remains central to electoral politics. — Correct. Politics has become more complex and hard to predict, yet caste remains central to electoral politics.

(D) Parties have competed in utilising the same kind of caste calculus. — Correct. The situation grew complicated because parties competed with each other in using the same kind of caste calculus.

NCERT (2026-27): “Caste in the Present …
Perhaps, the most eventful and important sphere of change has been that of politics. From its very beginnings in independent India, democratic politics has been deeply conditioned by caste. While its functioning has become more and more complex and hard to predict, it cannot be denied that caste remains central to electoral politics. Since the 1980s we have also seen the emergence of explicitly caste-based political parties. In the early general elections, it seemed as though caste solidarities were decisive in winning elections. But the situation soon got very complicated as parties competed with each other in utilising the same kind of caste calculus.”