Political Articulation and Policy Discourse in Elections

In the Andhra Pradesh elections of 2004, policy discourse displayed a plebiscitary character. The defeat of the TDP government has been interpreted as a 'vote against anti-people reforms'. The discourse analysis of the election campaigns of different parties however, clearly shows that except for the Left no mainstream party made this election a contest on reforms. The crisis-centric discourse of the Congress displayed possibilities for new discursive coalitions and political alliances, as concerns of marginalised groups gained prominence.