The Dynamics of Voting Behaviour in India: An Analytical Study
Keywords:
Voting behaviour, determinants, democracy, political participation
Abstract
Voting is one of the most frequently used terms in the modern age of democratic politics. In democratic systems, voting is a process by which every adult citizen expresses his approval or disapproval of the decisions made by the government, the policies and programmes of different political parties, and the attributes of the candidates who are in the fight to achieve the status of being the representatives of the people. Voting behaviour is one of the most important studies in the field of political science because it provides an insight into the way citizens engage in democracy and use their decisions to influence governance. An empirical study of the factors that determine electoral behaviour reveals that people's choices are usually influenced by numerous non-rational factors. Pressure groups are very persuasive and influence voter behaviour more through emotional and social appeals rather than logic. They often mobilise support using religious and communal identities, money or the charisma of political leaders. Consequently, voter’s decisions are often influenced by social groups and personal feelings rather than analysis of policy and issues. The main purpose of the study is to focus attention on voting behaviour and highlight the determinants of the voting behaviour in India.
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References
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[2]. Kumar, S., & Rai, P. (2013). Measuring voting behaviour in India (1st ed.). India: SAGE Publications.
[3]. Rathore, S., & Meena, C. (2024). Voting Behavior in India: Comprehensive Overview. Research Hub, 11(4), 40–44. https://doi.org/10.53573/rhimrj.2024.v11n4.007
[4]. Islam, Md. S. (2023). Voting behaviour and its determinants among the electors in rural assam: an empirical study in the dhalpukhuri development block of the hojai district of assam. ShodhKosh Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v4.i1.2023.6131
[5]. Wasby, S. (1972). Political science - The discipline and its dimensions (p.308). Scientific Book Agency, Calcutta.
[6]. Hazarika, B. (2015). Voting behaviour in India and its determinants. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 20(10), 22–25.
[7]. Heywood, A. (2015). Essentials of UK politics. London: Macmillan International Higher Education.
[8]. Pettersen, P. A., & Rose, L. E. (1996). Participation in local politics in Norway: Some do, some don’t; some will, some won’t. Political Behavior, 18(1), 51–97. doi:10.1007/BF01498660
[9]. Lipset, S. M. (1963). Political man: The Social basis of Politics. Doubleday Publishing and Company.
[10]. Lane, R. E. (1959). Political life: Why people get involved in politics. Mississippi Valley Historical Review, 46(2). https://doi.org/10.2307/1891593.
[11]. Kumar, S., & Mishra, J. (2021). Participation in politics: Voting behaviour and engagement in political activities. In Women voters in Indian elections (pp. 17–33). Routledge.
[12]. Kumar, S. (Ed.). (2021). Women voters in Indian elections: Changing trends and emerging patterns. Taylor & Francis.
[13]. Soman, U. (2009). Patriarchy: Theoretical postulates and empirical findings. Sociological Bulletin, 58(2), 253–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038022920090206
[14]. Rana, M. (2021). Internalized patriarchy: Sociocultural and economic barriers to participation of women in politics. In Women voters in Indian elections (pp. 84–108). Routledge.
[15]. Andersen, K. (1975). Working women and political participation, 1952–1972. American Journal of Political Science, 19(3), 439–453. https://doi.org/10.2307/2110538
[16]. Attri, V. (2021). Individual and motivational factors affecting women’s political participation. In Women voters in Indian elections (pp. 34–58). Routledge.
[17]. Babu, K. H. (2012). Voting behaviour: A study of selected assembly constituencies in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. [Doctoral Dissertation, Acharya Nagarjuna University].
[18]. Lizotte, M. (2022). Handbook on Politics and Public Opinion. In Public opinion and gender (pp. 193–207). Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800379619.00025
[19]. Bhatnagar, S. (2024). Patriarchy and the Indian society. SSRN Electronic Journal, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4806415
[20]. Kittilson, M. C. (2016). Gender and political behavior. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.71
[21]. Gopalakrishnan, L., Ayadi, A. E., & Diamond-Smith, N. (2024). The role of community-level men’s and women’s inequitable gender norms on women’s empowerment in India: A multilevel analysis using India’s National Family Health Survey–5. PLoS ONE, 19(12), e0312465. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0312465
[22]. Verba, S., Burns, N., & Schlozman, K. L. (1997). Knowing and Caring About Politics: Gender and Political Engagement. The Journal of Politics, 59(4), 1051–1072. https://doi.org/10.2307/2998592
[23]. Goel, M. L. (1975). Political participation in a developing nation, India. Asia publishing house.
[24]. Iwanaga, K. (Ed.). (2008). Women’s political participation and representation in Asia: Obstacles and challenges, 2 (pp. 1–22). Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences Press.
[25]. Attri, V. (2021). Individual and motivational factors affecting women’s political participation. In Women voters in Indian elections (pp. 34–58). Routledge.
[26]. Dalton, R. J. (2016). Party identification and its implications. Oxford research encyclopedia of politics. Retrieved 12 September. 2025, from https://oxfordre.com/politics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-72
[27]. Sniderman, P. M., & Stiglitz, E. H. (2012). The reputational premium: A theory of party identification and policy reasoning (pp.12-33). Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.23943/princeton/9780691154145.003.0002
[28]. Mahajan, G. (2023). Cementing emotions: The new reasoning of majoritarian politics. In Passionate politics (pp. 208-216). Manchester University Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526157751.00032
[29]. Mathur, V. (2023). ‘Modi’-fied Beliefs: Assessing cognitive dissonance in populist voting behaviour in India. South Asia Journal of South Asian Studies, 46(5), 1028–1048. https://doi.org/10.1080/00856401.2023.2218688
[30]. Lawrence, D. G. (1978). Candidate Orientation, Vote Choice, & the Quality of the American Electorate. Polity, 11(2), 229–246. https://doi.org/10.2307/3234444
[31]. Rai, P. (2023). Political legitimation and charismatic routinization of Modi ‘Wave’ in India. Journal of Asian and African Studies, 60(2), 771–785 https://doi.org/10.1177/00219096231179655
[32]. Akhter, Z., & Sheikh, Y. A. (2014). Determinants of voting behaviour in India: Theoretical perspective. Public Policy and Administration Research, 4(8), 104–108.
[33]. Kothari, R. (1995). Caste in Indian politics (5th Ed.), (pp.3-24). Orient Longman Private Limited.
[34]. Singh, A., & Murari, K. (2019). Political process in contemporary India: Determinants of Voting Behaviour-Caste, class, gender and Religion. Pearson India Education Services Pvt. Ltd.
[35]. Khemani, S. (2001). Decentralization and Accountability: Are Voters More Vigilant in Local than in National Elections? In World Bank, Washington, DC eBooks (2557). https://doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-2557
[36]. Alam, M. S. (2024). Pocketbook Voting in India’s 18th Parliamentary Elections (2024). Studies in Indian Politics, 12(2), 251-264. https://doi.org/10.1177/23210230241289454
[37]. Gochhayat, A. (2014). Regionalism and sub-regionalism: A theoretical framework with special reference to India. African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 8(1), 10–26. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJPSIR2013.0611
[38]. Hazarika, B. (2015). Voting behaviour in India and its determinants. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 20(10), 22-25.
[39]. Wyatt, A. (2021). Political parties, rallies, and propaganda in India. In Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks (pp. 347–358). https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789906424.00031
[40]. Vasudevan, S. (2019). Diminishing the effectiveness of vote buying: Experimental evidence from a persuasive radio campaign in India (pp.1-67). Unpublished Manuscript, Columbia University. https://www.povertyactionlab.org/sites/default/files/research-paper/Diminishing-the-Effect-of-Vote-Buying_Jan2019.pdf
[41]. Kumar, S. (2009). Religious Practices among Indian Hindus: Does that Influence Their Political Choices? Japanese Journal of Political Science, 10(3), 313–332. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1468109909990090
[42]. Sahu, S. K. (2002). Religion and Politics in Comparative Perspective: Religion and Politics in India (pp. 241–266). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511814402.012
[43]. Patteti, R. S., & Rajani, D. (2024). Speech and strategy: unpacking political power in india through the language of power. ShodhKosh Journal of Visual and Performing Arts, 5(5). https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i5.2024.3001
[44]. Hardgrave, R. L. (1983). The Northeast, the Punjab, and the regionalization of Indian politics. Asian Survey, 23(11), 1171–1181. https://doi.org/10.2307/2644366
[45]. Kumar, A. (2024). The role of money in India’s elections: How effective is the political finance regime? Millennial Asia. https://doi.org/10.1177/09763996241246054
[46]. Vaishnav, M. (2017). When Crime Pays: Money and muscle in Indian politics. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL27236016M/When_crime_pays
[47]. Chhibber, P. K., & Verma, R. (2018). Ideology and identity: The changing party systems of India. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190623876.001.0001
[48]. Pinatih, I. D. S. (2024). Identity politics and political parties in India. Nation State Journal of International Studies, 7(1), 71–85. https://doi.org/10.24076/nsjis.v7i1.1587
Published
2025-10-09
How to Cite
shitiri, S., & Prof. Moamenla Amer. (2025). The Dynamics of Voting Behaviour in India: An Analytical Study. IJRDO - Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research, 11(4), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.53555/sshr.v11i4.6446
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