Introduction : the evolution of political parties in India / E. Sridharan and Peter Ronald deSouza -- A plea for the reconstruction of the Indian polity / Jayaprakash Narayan -- Politics without party / M.N. Roy -- The congress "system" in India / Rajni Kothari -- Party system and electoral politics in the Indian states, 1952-2002 : from hegemony to convergence / Suhas Palshikar and Yogendra Yadav -- Party politics and electoral behaviour : from independence to the 1980s / Myron Weiner -- The challenge of Hindu nationalism : the Bharatiya Janata Party in contemporary Indian politics / Bruce D. Graham -- Communalization of the Indian polity / Achin Vanaik -- The Communist parties in India / Valerian Rodrigues -- Shiv Sena : a tiger with many faces? / Suhas Palshikar -- Telugu Desam Party : rise and prospects for future / K.C. Suri -- Parties, the party system and collective action for state funding of elections : a comparative perspective on possible options / E. Sridharan -- "No" to Zenana Dabbas : deghettoising women's politics and enhancing their representation in legislatures / Madhu Kishwar -- Selection of congress candidates : the formal criteria / Ramashray Roy -- Political nomadism In India : the struggle between the fence and the field / Peter Ronald DeSouza.