This edited collection examines the emergence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in India and the ways in which its Hindu nationalist agenda has been affected by the constraints of being a dominant member of a coalition government.
Religious influence in contemporary politics offers a fertile ground for political-sociological analysis, especially in societies where religion is a very important source of collective identity. In South Asian societies religion can, and often has, provided legitimacy to both governments and those who oppose them. This book examines the emergence of the BJP and the ways in which its Hindu nationalist agenda has been affected by the constraints of being a dominant member of a coalition government. The collected authors take stock of the party's first full term in power, presiding over the diverse forces of the governing NDA coalition, and the 2004 elections. They assess the BJP's performance in relation to its stated goals, and more specifically how it has fared in a range of policy fields - center-state relations, foreign policy, defense policies, the 'second generation' of economic reforms, initiatives to curb corruption and the fate of minorities.
Explicitly linking the volume to literature on coalition politics, this book will be of great importance to students and researchers in the fields of South Asian studies and politics.

Katharine Adeney is a lecturer in politics at the University of Sheffield. Dr. Adeney is a specialist on the comparative study of federalism in India and Pakistan. She has authored work in Political Studies and the Journal of Commonwealth and Comparative Politics. She is the Chair of the Politics of South Asia specialist group of the Political Studies Association in addition to being Secretary of the British Association of South Asian Studies.
Lawrence Sáez is a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for International Studies at the London School of Economics. Dr. Sáez's areas of academic interest include the political economy of developing countries, with a focus on India and China. Sáez has published two books: Federalism Without a Centre (Sage 2001) and Banking Reform in India and China (Palgrave 2003). He used to be associate editor for South Asia at Asian Survey.

Section 1. Theoretical Concerns Introduction: Coalition politics, religious nationalism, and public policy: a theoretical examination. Katharine Adeney and Lawrence Sáez 1. The BJP Coalition: Partisanship and power-sharing in government. Alistair McMillan 2. The Shapes of Hindu Nationalism. John Zavos 3. In part, a Myth: The BJP's organisational strength. James Manor Section 2. Domestic Governance 4. The NDA and the politics of 'minorities' in India Subrata Mitra 5. Hindu Nationalists and Federal Structures in an Era of Regionalism Katharine Adeney 6. Social Justice and Empowerment of the Weaker Sections and Gender Rights Nitya Rao 7. Managing the Anti-Corruption Rhetoric: The NDA, transparency and corruption Gurharpal Singh 8. Indian Education Policy Under the NDA Government Marie Lall Section 3. External Factors 9. The NDA and the Politics of Economic Reform. Rob Jenkins 10. The NDA and Indian Foreign Policy James Chiriyankandath and Andrew Wyatt 11. The NDA and National Security Apurba Kundu 12. The BJP and the 2004 General Election: Dimensions, causes, and implications of an unexpected defeat Christophe Jaffrelot 13. Hindutva's March Halted? Choices for the BJP after the 2004 defeat.