General Elections, 1996-Political Sadhus and Limits to Religious Mobilisation in North India

Political Sadhus and Limits to Religious Mobilisation in North India Virginia Van Dyke The cold facts of real politic are nowhere more evident than in the interrelationships of religion and politics in south Asia, where the public image of religious specialists who have chosen to participate in politics often clashes with the vision of the ideal and where contradictions abound in the whole notion of sadhus campaigning for political office. There are implications for democracy as sadhus ask for votes white accepting the reverence of the faithful coming to touch their feet, and then participate in political compromises and exchanges with less than savoury individuals as the criminalisation of politics affects even those who live in ashrams.