Religion trumps caste in India vote: Politicians of all stripes have courted lower-caste Indians with affirmative action programs, job guarantees and special subsidies.

The article discusses how religion has become a more important factor than caste in Indian politics. Politicians have been targeting lower-caste Indians with affirmative action programs, job guarantees, and special subsidies to address long-standing discrimination. The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has focused on appealing to the Hindu faith and promoting a vision of a resurgent Hindu nation. While the BJP has been successful in uniting various caste groups, caste discrimination remains prevalent in both politics and society. Despite Modi's low-caste origins, upper-caste individuals still dominate positions of power. [Extracted from the article]