This study reveals that the loyalties of religion, caste, kinship and [actional grouping serve as a basis for the organisation of political support in rural areas. All these loyalties work simultaneously but they are situationally determined and operate at different levels. For instance, communal loyalty becomes operative whenever the main conflict is between Hindus and Muslims. In a situation where the conflict is between the members of the same religious community, internal cleavages come to the fore and crystallisation of political loyalties follows the line of sectarian or caste distinctions.