About the Book

Who halted the BJP’s victorious march and yet paved the way for Narendra Modi’s third term? Not the Congress, but India’s ambitious regional parties. Defying the might of the BJP’s political aandhi, these powerful satraps and dynastic heirs have reimagined India’s electoral landscape. From Akhilesh Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav to Udhayanidhi Stalin and Nara Lokesh, a new generation of regional leaders has risen—blending local clout with national ambition. Are they simply power brokers, or do they represent authentic, local aspirations in a nation as diverse as India? Should the country gravitate towards a two-party system, or does its vast cultural diversity demand a multiparty system? In the absence of constitutional limits, regional parties negotiate hard, especially in coalition politics—and national parties are often willing partners in this high-stakes game. In this compelling political narrative, veteran journalist Sunita Aron chronicles the rise, reinvention, and resilience of India’s regional parties and their quirky family saga and electoral manoeuvres. Satraps, Coalitions and Power Games reveals how these regional players continue to script the story of India’s political future.

About the Author

Sunita Aron is a former executive editor, and now the consulting editor of the Hindustan Times in Lucknow. The first woman newspaper editor in Uttar Pradesh, Sunita has covered the state’s politics for over four decades and written extensively on the Ayodhya issue, the Mandal agitation and the rise and fall of regional forces in the country. Satraps, Coalitions and Power Games is her fourth book.