Harmful power concentration

Personality- or family-based parties prevent strong alliances

The drama over the resignation of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar as president of the party has highlighted a structural flaw in political parties in India. Barring the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a handful of others, most parties in the world’s largest democracy tend to be predicated on authoritarian structures dominated either by one leader or one family. Mr Pawar, 82, is reportedly seeking to avoid a split in the party and has forwarded the claims of his daughter, Supriya Sule, to take over in preference to his ambitious nephew Ajit Pawar. The NCP is the