Why politicians defect

Indian politics wouldn't be a fraction as fascinating if it did not defy any idea that seemed obvious or an answer that began with 'of course'. They would all fail the test of Indian politics

The cross-voting and defections in the Rajya Sabha elections in Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka raise important questions. What makes politicians stay loyal to a party or leave it? Why do some parties stay together and others split? What’s the glue that keeps parties together, and what is it that makes them lose cohesion?

Let’s anticipate the obvious answers. First up, of course, it must be power and money that make people stay or leave. It must also be the glue that keeps parties together or the magnet that pulls people away. Sorry to disappoint you, but that isn’t true.