印度是世界上人口最多的国家之一,也是发展中国家中较早建立民主体制的国家。印度的民主政治具有突出特点,即在民主体制中深深嵌入了传统的种姓等级制。政府保留政策的实施、“贱民”解放运动的兴起和种姓协会的发展衍生了种姓政治,竞争性选举制和政党体制与种姓制的结合推动了种姓政治的发展。作为传统的等级制,种姓制与现代社会存在内在冲突和诸多矛盾,但作为一种长期的社会现实还非常有活力,它与现代社会存在着某种契合,并在现代民主政治的进程中有所改变。
India is one of the most populous countries in the world and a pioneer among developing countries in establishing democratic institutions. The most prominent feature of democracy in India is "caste politics", the embedment of the traditional caste hierarchy in a democratic system. Caste politics is derived from a composition of forces by the Reservation Scheme implemented by the Indian government, the rise of the Untouchables' Liberation Movement and the development of the Caste Association. The competitive electoral system and party system combined with caste have served as impetuses for the development of caste politics. Caste, as a traditional hierarchical system, intrinsically conflicts and contradicts with modem society. However, as a long-standing social reality, it still has a lot of vitality; it is fused with India' s modem society and is changing with the evolution of the country' s modem democratic politics.