For decades, Western modernization theory predicted that caste would wither away with industrialization, urbanization, and electoral politics. Kothari turned this assumption on its head. He argued that caste had not only survived but had become more politically relevant—not as a ritual hierarchy, but as a democratic pressure group.
: Kothari and other scholars have noted that caste serves as a significant political resource. Political parties often use caste as a mobilizing force to garner support from various caste groups. This is particularly evident in the way parties select their candidates and in the promises they make to specific caste groups.
