A recent book explores the persistence of privilege among wealthy mercantile castes within the contemporary Indian political landscape. The text describes the current national environment as an exclusionary project defined by ethnic democracy, where majority groups enjoy greater rights than minorities. Historically associated with the Brahmin-Bania demographic, the Bharatiya Janata Party has seen its influence grow significantly since 2014, coinciding with an expansion of corporate power. While research from 2009 previously highlighted a trend of lower-caste political empowerment, scholars now observe a reversal of this pattern. The analysis suggests that upper-caste representation in legislative bodies has rebounded, challenging earlier predictions regarding the decline of traditional elite dominance in state governance.
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