Urban Voting and Party Choices in Delhi: Matching Electoral Data with Property Category

Abstract

In most parts of the world there is a direct relation between economic and social well-being and political participation. India, though, is among the exceptions to this tendency. The poor in India vote more than the rich. This paper, using the case of Delhi, shows that neighbourhoods have a significant influence in voting patterns. The rich in poor neighbourhoods vote more than the rich in affluent neighbourhoods and the poor in rich neighbourhoods vote less than the poor in underprivileged neighbourhoods. This paper uses property tax and property categories to arrive at Delhi’s wealth parameters and then tries to match them with voting patterns.

Keywords: Urban Voting, Delhi, India, Political Preferences, BJP, INC, Voting Behavior

JEL Classification: D72