Number Theory: Turncoats and their role in Indian politics, polls
A majority of turncoats in both the BJP and the Congress come from parties smaller than both of them.
That the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has no problems in inducting leaders from opposition parties, even though it accuses these parties of misgovernance and corruption, has become a common refrain in Indian politics since 2014. How true is such criticism? One way to answer this question is to try and see whether turncoats — candidates who jump parties between elections — are a post-2014 phenomenon in Indian politics? To be sure, such an analysis has its limitations as it cannot account for change in alliances or factor in the role of important leaders who switch parties but do not contest elections. With these caveats in place, the data shows that turncoats have always existed in politics and the dominant party of the day has always used them to help its electoral prospects.
Recommended Topics 