Abstract
In electoral politics of rural western Punjab, people for the pursuit of
their interests strategically gather in their biraderi (extended family
group), and then become the part of village level vote bloc under the
leadership of some influential persons. Vote bloc leaders then play the
role of a broker patron and deals with the politicians or candidates
who are comprised of landed elite with background of Tumandars
(tribal chiefs) and Sajjada nashins (custodians of shrines) for private
or public goods in lieu of their electoral support. Sometimes biraderi
(extended family) leaders who are normally economically well-off
within the kin group themselves directly bargain with the politicians.
The politicians, during the time of elections, realizing the emerging
national political scenario and the political party expected to come in
power, try to get its party ticket to contest the election. If they for any
reason fail to get ticket from that party, they contest election as
independent candidates so that after winning the election they could
join the party in power. They always want to remain in power so that
they could cater the demands of their supporters by giving them
political patronage failing which would lose their political support that
might end their political career. This is the case with the politicians
contesting elections from this constituency of the area under research
at both levels of provincial and national assembly seats. In this way, it
has been explored that through these social and economic tools of vote
bloc, biraderism and patronage, the ideological, policy oriented,
horizontal class based politics is kept away and bar to emerge.
Muhammad Fiaz Anwar. (2020) An Ethnographic Study Of Voting Behaviour In Dera Ghazi Khan District, Pakistan , Volume-57, Issue-1.
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