Introduction: Researching political parties at the grassroots in India

Political parties perform important functions in Indian politics. They are significant as parties in government and as organisations. Parties take diverse forms organisationally and their presence in the electorate varies significantly. There is a strong tradition of studying political parties in India, yet studies that produce data on the internal life of political parties are relatively unusual. Studying parties at the grassroots helps to fill this gap and produces valuable primary data which are difficult to access. Observing the local and everyday work of political parties produces insights into political recruitment, the persistence of social hierarchies, the reproduction of party elites and the use of material appeals.