Salil Tripathi [21/01/10 23:29 +0000]:
caste lines would make divisions more concrete. My assumption though is that with greater urbanization a reality in India, it will get harder to divide polyglot regions into exclusive ethnic enclaves.
That assumption may need another look. Even now the "urbanized" population of a city - the thinking and voting population, that's as mobile as you describe - is minimal, not particularly organized (does not register to vote / cant register as doesnt satisfy the residency requirements, and then gets transfered out too often to interest itself in local politics). Compare that to the "real" vote bank - the residents of the lower income areas, slums etc etc (and, to some extent the middle class .. though its vote bank might get heavily fragmented).
