The Role of Civil Society in the Creation of India's New State of Telangana

Abstract

The creation of India's 29th state on June 2, 2014 realized 58-year-old demand for the division of the state of Andhra Pradesh due to internal economic inequalities. The center's decision to create a new federal unit was preceded by massive protests that had been going on since 2009. These mobilizations were organized by various social movements as well as parties like the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) who now forms the government of the state. Apart from their success in the institutional field of politics, the protests for Telangana, in which large parts the population were involved and through which many social movement organizations were founded, led also to the creation of a new civil society. Uniting in the name of a neglected region, this civil society often provided a space in which traditionally marginalized groups could raise their voices and articulate their particular interests. Thus this civil society promoted a process for democratization outside the parliamentary system in that it provided an alternative sphere for participation.