Votebank politics in India
Vote Bank is a term used to describe en-mass voting of an ethnic group or many groups for one common leader or party.In Indian context there are many Vote Banks eg. Muslim,Yadav,Dalit,OBC,Brahmin etc.It is assumed that every individual Vote Bank would vote together.Political Parties try to woo them with their policies and promises.Hence each of them has affiliation with a political party.It is assumed BJP commands Hindu Vote Bank while Lalu Prasad Yadav commands Muslim & Yadav vote bank often called MY.Similarly congress too has its own Vote Bank called Minority vote Bank which comprises of Muslims, Christians and Tribals.The Akali Dal in Punjab and the Muslim League in Kerala espouse the cause of the Sikhs and Muslims interests at the provincial level.
Language is another category in the diversity among the peoples of India. Various political parties have cultivated linguistic Vote Banks. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) in Tamil Nadu, as well as the Assam Gon Parishad in Assam, all flaunt their linguistic Vote Banks.
Every political party develop their own Vote Bank by pandering to the needs of a group.However the left parties, CPI and CPI(M), are ideology-based political entities and have a committed ideological cadre who have successfully kept themselves away from Vote Bank Politics.West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura are the few states where these parties are strong.
References
1.Vote Bank Politics by Syed Ali Mujtaba
2.Congress looks for a Vote Bank
3.Tussle for Hindu Vote Bank in Tamil Nadu