Realpolitik: Exposing India’s Political System

Political parties are more than just an idea or a representation. They are full-fledged organizations of committed grassroot-level workers helping to build the party brick by brick. Many factors come into play in the rise and survival of a political party. In this book, various leaders and party workers from across party lines bring you insight stories about their associations with political parties, their role in electioneering and fundraising, their emotional investment and its toll on their personal and professional lives. Realpolitik: Exposing India’s Political System delves into the structure and hierarchy of political parties, political godfathers and dynasty politics. It examines the career roadmap of political workers, appeasement of marginalized groups for vote bank politics, tackling dissent, the play of power and money, and the setbacks when tall leaders desert the party.

A deeply fascinating read for people interested in the Indian political system and a ‘manual’ for those interested in a career in Indian politics.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgements PART I Measure of a Political Party Minions behind a Political Effigy Political Loyalty Ideological Cloning PART II Political Career Roadmap The Life of a Political Worker Political Godfathers and Dynasty Politics The Money Rota PART III The Political Game of the Marginalized Vote Bank Tokenism Women in Politics: Dodging Patriarchy PART IV Oiling the Nuts and Bolts Defections and Desertions Tickets and Appointments Political Leaderships References

About the Author :
Mamta Chitnis Sen, artist and writer, has worked with publications such as Mid-Day, Society and The Sunday Guardian where she handled the political beat for Maharashtra. She headed Dignity Dialogue, India’s foremost magazine exclusively for the 50-plus age group as Executive Editor. She was also the Secretary of the Mumbai Youth Congress from 2007 to 2010. She has studied painting and ceramics at Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, and was the Hon. Researcher for the art college involved in documenting the history of the institute. During her stint as a student at J. J., she founded Canvas Clan in 2011, a congregation of painters of various age groups and curated two group shows under the banner—Random Strokes and Resurrection Bihar; the latter was to commemorate centenary celebrations of Bihar state in Mumbai. She was felicitated by the Bihar government for the same. Mamta was also the Consultant, Media Advocacy, Arts & Crafts and Exhibitions with the Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) and was involved in community outreach programmes for the Bihari Diaspora. She handled Bihar Foundation’s art gallery Zierou (which she founded) and organized art exhibitions, workshops and capacity training programmes aimed to promote art and culture in the state. Women and their rights have been an integral part of her work both in writing and in art. An alumnus of S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai, where she studied Women Empowerment and Resource Mobilization, Mamta has hosted capacity training workshops for women from political parties as well as from the unorganized sector. She has authored a paper on these experiences titled ‘Evolving Role of Women in Political Parties’ and since 2012, has been documenting social crises through art. Her recent solo exhibitions on women farmers were at Jehangir Art Gallery and Ministry of External Affairs, Vilnius, Lithuania. She volunteers with World Citizen Artists—a forum of international artists, musicians and writers, founded in Paris 2013 and was selected to create art for World Humanitarian Day and World Mandela Day. She has been invited by the Mayor of Bressuire in France to showcase her paintings in the city’s eleventh-century castle and has exhibited her paintings in various art galleries in India and abroad. Her art has been published in international art journals and anthology such as Studio to Studio—The Artists’ Working Theory and Practice and Les Femmes Folles: The Women 2016. In 2018 she participated in a month-long art residency in Vilnius, Lithuania hosted by Sanskritik Mandala. The works created in the residency were showcased in Vilnius and then later travelled to Berlin, Germany. Her paintings are in private collections in India and countries such as Spain, South Africa, France, Morocco, Denmark, Germany, Lithuania and Belgium. Since 2015, Mamta has been handling Media Advocacy for Child Rights and You (CRY)—an NGO working for the rights of underprivileged children in India. Mamta also teaches Journalism and Communications for Development as a guest faculty at St. Xaviers Institute of Communications (XIC) in Mumbai. An avid traveller and writer, she regularly writes for several national and international publications.  

Review :
‘Mamta Chitnis Sen has captured the essence of what politics should be in talking about the functioning of grassroots politics. This has been done by examining the experiences and methods of politicians whose only durbar was the people. The analysis has been expertly woven together to create a work that is an essential reading for those interested in the roots of democracy in India.’ ‘Mamta Chitnis Sen has boldly tackled the difficult subject of probing the motivation for any Indian to join the current-day Indian politics. What has happened to that pre-1947 confluence of ideologically inspired, freedom-seeking and educated individuals who are seldom seen now in any political party? Why has politics been converted into a power-seeking, sectarian and profit-based avocation? The author highlights the reasons for this deterioration through the voices of grassroots workers from different political parties. Most of them spoke to her frankly, though one could discern attempts by some to shroud reality while facing the tape recorder. Some defended dynastic politics on public acceptability. Almost all of them spoke of difficulties in managing their professions while being in politics, which demanded full-time attention.’ ‘To be a successful political worker in any of India’s several frontline parties is definitely a high order. It’s like playing cricket in your ‘gali’ and aspiring to be the captain of the Indian team in a World Cup or a test series abroad! You have to work hard, very hard, and you can still be kept out of the playing XI. The ladder to the top is too steep.

Do the parties genuinely care for the unsung heroes working on the field? Does a party support the young dedicated workers who have no solid link with an established leader? Do youths have a future in political parties? Is there a good political training centre? How dirty is the political structure of our parties that claim to shoulder the responsibility of running a state or a country? Is there a career in politics? This book, to some extent, has tried to find answers to these inconvenient questions, and more. 

Realpolitik attempts to expose the functioning of the parties from within. Since the author had had a stint at politics—even if at a junior level—she knows how the parties operate and what the future is for a young aspirant. This is a must-read for all the political greenhorns, as it shows them the trenches in the dark alleys much before they start to grope in and get badly bruised!’ ‘A refreshing take on the inside world of politics, the book brings forth the actual workings of both the political parties and the people involved in at all levels. It is a must-read for those interested in pursuing a career in one of the most complicated fields in the world.’ ‘Mamta Chitnis Sen has spread her journalistic net to haul in a wide spectrum of political parties and personalities. It is an easy, well-written, well-researched guide through the maze of our contemporary polity.’ ‘Mamta Chitnis Sen has attempted to decipher the complex world of politics lived and  experienced by grassroots workers and their leaders. The book provides deep insights not only into the intricate workings of different political parties but also into the dynamics, importance and differing reasons for seeking power and the methods that one is forced to seek to achieve them. It is a must-read.’ ‘Calculating the many reasons behind what makes Indian politics tick, Mamta Chitnis Sen has courageously ventured into navigating its tricky waters by bringing forth the reality and hard work that goes in not only running political parties in the country but also managing the many people associated with it. The book is surely an eye-opener and a guide for political first-timers.’ “The book is a must read for those wishing to venture into politics… (It) has made a good attempt to expose the Indian political system to its readers.”  “(The book) attempts to bring out the keystones of Indian political party system. It further aims to dissect the working machinery of a party with interviews of party workers from key political parties while documenting their journey.”  “Realpolitik is definitely a must read for anyone who wants a comprehensive take on the Indian politics… a much-needed kaleidoscopic view of politics.” “This book is a valuable addition to political science literature as grass-root workers remain an extremely understudied topic.”