• DHARMANNA MADAR
• DR. BASAVARAJA G

The objective of this paper is to examine the role of political polarization and majority identity politics in India. The rise of political polarization was facilitated by the hegemony of the majority community in the Indian polity, which justified the exclusion of minority communities from the political system and facilitated their mobilization into exclusive communities. Contemporary Indian polity is characterized by the political polarization of major communities and castes as well as the politics of majority identity. The BJP is a right-wing party that is strongly committed to Hindu nationalism. The Congress Party, on the other hand, is a secular party that is more aligned with the interests of the minority Muslim community. The two parties have been able to win support from different sections of society by appealing to their respective ideological commitments. As a result, Indian society is highly polarized along religious and caste lines. The paper examines the role of political polarization and majority identity politics in the Indian context and also examines the impact of this political polarization on Indian society. The paper argues that the rise of the BJP and the Congress Party has led to the rise of two competing nationalisms in India. The BJP's Hindu nationalist ideology is in conflict with the Congress Party's secular ideology. This conflict has led to the rise of majority identity politics in India. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of this rise for Indian democracy.

Indian politics, polarization, Hindutva politics, identity politics. majority identity politics, Indian Democracy,

"''In the Shadows of Identity: India's History of Political Polarization and Majority Identity Politics''", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.10, Issue 11, page no.f405-f411, December-2023, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2311546.pdf

"''In the Shadows of Identity: India's History of Political Polarization and Majority Identity Politics''", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.10, Issue 11, page no. ppf405-f411, December-2023, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2311546.pdf