Voting behaviour in rural and urban areas of Punjab

Abstract

The study of voting behavior of the rural and urban voters is the main objective of this paper. Ideological and biradari (clan, tribe) based considerations of voters are discussed in this case. Biradarism (casteism, tribalism) is the main component of this behavior. It has a very deep impact on political alignments of the people of Punjab. This factor gained more importance in the era of non-political governments. Non- party elections at the national and local level and weak political ideology further strengthened it. Elections of local bodies played their role to increase this trend also. The over all effects of these factors on the output of political process in the Punjab province have been analyzed. A historical, analytical and behavioral approach has been adopted. Another object of this paper is to analyze the power of cultural elements in politics for the reason that it takes one beyond the traditional range of political theory and practice in its past and present appearance. Such a study can provide a preliminary base to extend the boundaries of comparative politics and political behavior and some detail on the role of tradition in politics. This paper is divided into three parts. The first part is related to the meaning and role of biradari, the second is the division of the urban and rural areas and the last one is connected to political parties and religious groups playing a role in electoral behavior.