Franchise Expansion and Electoral Mobilization in Colonial India

• In Event: New Work on the Historical Political Economy of Asia

Abstract

We study the first limited franchise elections held in colonial Indian provinces in 1920. Using district-level electoral returns and exploiting differences in the district-level indentured emigration rates to various British colonies in the mid-nineteenth to early-twentieth centuries, we argue that the size and ethnic composition of migrants shaped electoral politics in 1920. Migration can affect politics via multiple channels. It can work via the labor market channel by reducing the supply of labor and thereby, increasing the bargaining power of those that remain. Alternatively, it may lead to diffusion of social capital from returning migrants leading to the district becoming more politically active. We find that higher levels of emigration were associated with higher turnout and more competition in districts with higher caste fragmentation. Next, to understand how indentured migration shaped electoral politics in colonial India, we use data on the caste and returns of the indentured migrants. We find that higher emigration amongst intermediate castes – castes that were politically marginalized under the British compared to upper castes – was associated with higher turnout and more competitive electoral dynamics. Importantly, districts that received a higher share of returnees experienced more competitive elections. This seems to suggest that emigration likely increased knowledge of politics and resources amongst migrant populations, resulting in more competitive political dynamics.

Author

• Pavithra Suryanarayan, Johns Hopkins University