Village politics

The ways in which the people in villages seek power positions, compete with one another, exercise power, take part in community decisions is one of the important areas of sociological study. 1 he nature and character of village politics are influenced by the socio-economic structure, the larger society and the specific historical period. A comprehension of the dynamics of political
power and conflict in village communities, therefore, necessitates longitudinal studies covering different historical periods.
As a tonguudrnat empirical study of village politics this book is perhaps the first of its kind ID Indian Sociological and social anthropological studies. The role of different political leaders in a village community is analysed against the background of its socio-economic structure and the society in general. The study brings to light the dynamics of political power and conflict in a
village set-up in Telangana at various periods. Starung with the analysis of the political structure of a village in the feudal regime under the Nizam, this study analyses the impact of the Communist-led peasant rebellion during 1947-5 J and the impact of Panchayati Raj on the leftist forces. Panchayati Raj has had a different kind of impact in that it had institutionalised political
conflict by encouraging local leadership and in the process nee-traditional elite leadership came to hold power. There is a kind of conflict between the leftist and rightist forces at one level and a conflict between the forces generated by adult franchise and the traditional forces at the other. A systematic analysis of these various social and political processes at the local level
is not only intellectually and theoretically important but practically significant. This book will be useful to the students
of political sociology, political anthropology and political science and to all those who are interested in rural politics in India.