Electoral Participation of Minorities and Indian Political System

THE victory of Indira Gandhi in the recent Lok Sabha polls is attributed to the solid support extended to her by the minorities all over the country. Earlier, in 1971 and in 1977, the mino-rity vote to a great extent decided the outcome of the Lok Sabha polls. Social scientists have been trying to offer plausible explanation of this pheno-menon. If the minorities' vote is of such critical importance, what is the significance of the majority vote? Why does the majority vote not determine the final result of the elections? What is the profile of the majority voter and a minority voter? Before we answer these questions, let us ask who are the minorities and who form the majority in this country.