Department of Political Science

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Relevance of Maratha and Goan Identity on Politics of Goa

(Kolkata Centre for Contemporary Studies, 2025) Varak, Nawoo

In Goa, the Maratha identity mobilizes the Bahujan castes horizontally, the ‘Goan’ identity maintains the social hierarchies vertically. While the political idea of Bahujan Maratha shapes the electoral politics in Goa, the social identity of ‘Goan’ counters it. The separation of social from the political maintains the hegemony of the dominant classes in Goa. The electoral politics in the post-colonial Goa comforted communal understanding of the identities for electoral gains. The political leadership in the state employs these identities to bargain with the national political parties. This article aims to trace the historical origin of both the identities and reflect on their transition caused by electoral politics. The Marathisation of the Goan identity attempts to democratise the public sphere in Goa by providing the historical background to the political assertion of bahujan castes.