Princes in Electoral Politics | History Optional for UPSC (Notes) PDF Download

Introduction

• The former princes of India are becoming more active in politics, but it's largely due to the political system itself, not because they want to be. 
• If the old rulers had been left alone after giving up their thrones, most wouldn't have bothered with politics and would have disappeared from the public eye. 

Political Intrusion

• However, they weren't left alone. Political parties started approaching them, offering political roles in exchange for the votes they could bring from their former subjects. 
• The Congress party, which has recently tried to reduce princely privileges, was at the forefront of this arrangement. 

Paradoxical Revival

• Efforts to remove the last vestiges of princely status have ironically led to a political revival for the princes. 
• They are now more involved in politics, driven by concerns over their privy purses, privileges, and, from their perspective, their honour. 

Changing Dynamics

• As the princes become less aloof and more engaged in competitive politics, they may also lose some of the mystique that has traditionally supported them. 
• Their future success in politics will depend on their ability to turn traditional resources into political advantages while also learning new political and organizational skills. 

Perspective of Observers

• Until recently, many observers believed that the princes of India faded from politics after their states were integrated in 1948 and 1949. 
• They thought the princes were given pensions and retired to their hobbies, like hunting. 
• Some said that since 1956, the princes had virtually disappeared from the Indian political scene. 

Participation of Former Ruling Families

• Other observers noticed that members of former ruling families participated in elections but saw this as a minor, outdated, and temporary phenomenon. 
• They believed it was destined to decline. 
• This view changed when many princes performed well in the fourth general election, but few could predict that by the late 1970s, princes would become central to a controversial debate shaking India’s constitutional foundations. 

Controversy and Constitutional Questions

• The controversy raised important questions about: 
• The relationship between the Prime Minister and Parliament 
• The legitimacy and role of the upper house (Rajya Sabha) 
• The sanctity of treaties 
• The powers of the President 
• The role of the Supreme Court 

Early Elections and Fundamental Issues

• It also led to the first elections in two decades being held earlier than the constitutionally allowed maximum interval of five years. 
• Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called for early elections in March 1971, presenting voters with fundamental issues described by the Left as “socialism versus feudalism” and by the Right as “constitutional democracy versus arbitrary rule.” 

Rise of Princes in the Late 1960s

• The resurgence of princes in the late 1960s was due to: 
• Their increasing involvement in electoral politics 
• The central government’s attempt to cut their privy purse payments and privileges

Princely Electoral Behaviour

1. Long History of Participation

• Princess and princely family members have been competing for parliamentary and assembly seats since the first general elections in 1951-52.
• Contrary to popular belief, their participation level has steadily increased over the years.

2. Factors for Increased Participation

• Traditional Support: Surprisingly, traditional support for princes has not diminished as quickly as expected. In some areas, there is a nostalgia for the past under princely rule due to disappointment with nationalist governance.
• Modern Campaign Techniques: Former rulers have adapted modern campaign methods, built political party organizations, and focused on relevant issues, broadening their support base. This process, termed "popularisation," involves displaced elites remaining active in politics by aligning with dissident sections or appealing to less mobilized groups.
• Decline in Princely Aloofness: Many princes have become more engaged in democratic politics, seeing it as a natural extension of their princely roles or being drawn in by political leaders or major issues. The emergence of younger, less traditional princes who only vaguely remember autocratic rule has also contributed to increased candidacy and support.

3. Regional Variations in Princely Activity

• Odisha and Chhattisgarh: These regions have the highest rates of princely candidacy. Princely states here were merged with British-ruled territories, and local Congress leaders have actively recruited princely family members since 1952.
• Madhya Pradesh: Regions like Vindhya Pradesh and Madhya Bharat/Bhopal show low levels of princely electoral activity. The Congress party has been a significant factor in persuading princely family members to stand for office.
• Gujarat: There is regional diversity, with former rulers in Saurashtra and Kutch aligning with the Swatantra Party, while those in the rest of Gujarat, part of Bombay state from 1949 to 1960, are more aligned with the Congress party.

4. National and Personal Factors

• In regions like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur, Maharashtra, Mysore, and Madras, regional factors are less significant than national and personal ones in explaining princely political activity. Most princely politicians in these areas have stood for office as Congress candidates or independents.

5. Party Affiliations

• Congress Party: Most princely politicians have been recruited by the Congress party, which was the primary party for princely family members standing for office between 1951 and 1970.
• Swatantra Party: The second strongest party among princely families, mainly in Orissa, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.
• Jan Sangh: Shows increasing strength in Madhya Pradesh and Eastern Rajasthan, but princely members are still outnumbered by independents in most of India.

6. Decline of Congress Support

• Exodus to Opposition Parties: There was a significant shift of princes to opposition parties before the 1967 elections.
• Privy Purse Issue: The exodus of some rulers over the privy purse issue contributed to the decline of Congress support.
• Congress Split in 1969: This split led to princes being divided between the successor parties.

7. Persistence of Congress Support

• Respect for Nehru and Indira Gandhi: Many princes respected Nehru and believed Indira Gandhi was initially weak or manipulated, not hostile to the princes.
• Continued Power of Congress: There was a belief in the continued power of Congress and fear of anarchy or communist rule if Congress fell.
• Distaste for Alternatives: Princes had a strong distaste for alternative parties, contributing to their continued support for Congress.
• Agreement with Policies: Some princely politicians agreed with policies like privy purse abolition, influencing their support.

Privy Purses, Privileges, and Pressure Politics

1. Changing Beliefs about the Princes:

• There was a belief that the princes in India were fading from politics and were too divided by old grudges and status differences to work together.
• However, since 1967, this belief has changed as the princes began to organize themselves to fight against the Congress party's attack on their privileges and privy purses.

2. Privy Purses and Privileges:

• The government tried to abolish privy purses and privileges in late 1970. These were established in agreements between the central government and the rulers in 1948 and 1949 and were guaranteed in the Indian Constitution of 1950.
• The privy purse amounts varied by region, generally based on a state's annual revenue. Maintaining these was seen as a small price for the peaceful transition from princely to Republican rule.
• The 284 princes receiving privy purses and their heirs were to receive them forever, though some purses would be reduced with succession.

3. Early Revisions and Trusts:

• In the early 1950s, Nehru asked princes to voluntarily cut their payments, but there is no evidence of this happening. Many princes used large parts of their purses to establish philanthropic trusts and institutions.
• Rulers of Bashar and Jhalawar suggested a phased reduction plan for their payments in 1956 but were assured by the government that their agreements were secure.

4. Congress Party's Shift:

• The government's attack on the princes was a response to the Congress party's setbacks in the 1967 elections.
• The Congress party aimed to improve its image by adopting a more radical stance, which included abolishing princely privileges and, later, privy purses.

5. Formation of Concord:

• In response to the Congress party's resolution, several Delhi-based princes formed an organization called the "Rulers of Indian States in Concord for India."
• This group defended their position and became a vocal and effective organization with regional units across various states.

6. Regional Units:

• Regional units, known as "accords," were established in several states, including Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Gujarat, and Saurashtra.
• The separate units in Saurashtra and Gujarat occasionally meet jointly, and informal communication occurs among South Indian princes.

7. Communication and Coordination:

• The regional organizations and the Concord office in New Delhi effectively communicate information and policy to all members.

The Concorde itself has three levels of organisation:

A Brief History of the Concord

• The day-to-day activities of the Concord are managed by the "Ministritant Committee," headed by the "Incident General," the Maharaja of Dhrangadhra. This committee consists of about ten members, most of whom were involved in founding the Concord in 1967.
• A larger group called the "Conciliar Committee," with around 40 representatives from different princely regions, makes general policy decisions and meets about three times a year.
• The broadest body is the convention, which includes all 279 rulers and meets roughly once a year to ratify major policies.
• Office holders and committees in the Concord have special titles to avoid disputes over precedence and protocol. Different modes of address, greeting, and signature are used carefully.
• The Concord was established after the AICC resolutions but is not limited to the privy purse issue. It is registered as a "general purpose organization" and addresses various issues.
• The privy purse issue, referred to as the "Treaty regard" issue by the Concord, has been a major focus and a unifying factor for its members.
• Concord's unity has likely been strengthened by the ongoing privy purse controversy, which initially faced delays due to the government's uncertain commitment and other pressing issues.
• The government, under Indira Gandhi, eventually introduced abolition legislation in 1970, but it failed in the Rajya Sabha.
• In response, the government issued a presidential order derecognizing the princes, a move challenged in the Supreme Court by the Concord.
• The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the princes, leading to early elections called by Indira Gandhi, who aimed to strengthen her position and reintroduce the constitutional amendment.
• The Concord has evolved from a traditional social grouping into a cohesive interest group using modern political methods to protect collective interests.
• The future role of the Concord is uncertain, but members agree on its value and the idea of maintaining it as a permanent consultative body across party lines.
• Some rulers have been encouraged to stand for political office, and the Concord's members may facilitate the formation of electoral alliances.

Conclusion

• Contrary to popular belief, the princes have not vanished from politics but have taken on new and more active roles in India’s democratic system.
• The increase in princely political activity is largely due to the functioning of the democratic system itself.
• If the former rulers had been left alone after abdicating, few would have pursued political office, and most would have faded from public view, as the myth suggests.
• However, they were not left alone; political parties, especially the Congress party, intervened, offering former rulers political status in exchange for the votes they could deliver from their former subjects.
• Paradoxically, the efforts to eliminate princely privileges have led to the political revival of the princes.
• Many former rulers who previously resisted entering politics have been drawn into action to defend their privy purses, privileges, and honor.
• As they become more involved in competitive politics, the princes are likely to shed some of the mystique that has traditionally supported them.
• This process of “defensive modernisation” complements the broader changes over the past two decades that have transformed rulers into citizens and citizen-politicians.
• Their success in converting traditional resources into political gains while acquiring new political and organizational skills will determine whether the resurgence of the princes is a short-term phenomenon or a long-term feature of Indian politics.
• While history may suggest the decline of aristocracies, for now and the near future, former aristocrats remain an integral and prominent part of the Indian political landscape.