An examination of the nature of agrarian society and the role of the rural power structure has, of late, become an important feature in any analysis of political change in India. The spread of the Green Revolution and the growing importance of the agrarian sector has served to turn attention to the process of political mobilisation in the countryside. The growth of agrarian capitalism and the resulting mobilisation of new social groups has underpinned fundamental changes in many parts of the country while also paving the way for the emergence of the rich peasants.

This book analyses, within the above framework, the structure and issues of party politics in north India and, more specifically, in relation to the response of certain castes and classes in Aligarh district of western UP. Zoya Hasan delineates the patterns and shifts in mobilisation over a fifty year period and assesses the extent to which these are related to changes in the political economy of the district.

The author presents a systematic analysis of the emergence and eventual dominance of rich peasants, who are drawn from the ranks of the middle and backward castes in Aligarh district.

She goes on to examine how the demands and grievances of certain groups are translated into support for political parties and, further, how the vested interests of both middle and rich peasants influence their responses to the policies of these political parties.

This significant study in agrarian relations and politics will be widely welcomed by political scientists, historians, sociologists, and all those interested in studying the changing contours of rural Indian society.