Contents - 1. Politics in Maharashtra: An Overview 2. The New M.P. 3. Co-operatives: How Has Their Leadership Affected Maharashtra Politics? 4. From Protest Movement to Electoral Politics: Dalit Movement and Leadership in Maharashtra. 5. Political Leadership of Women in Maharashtra 6. Non-Party Political Elites in Maharashtra: A Study of the Shramik Sanghatana and Bhoomi Sena 7. Panchayati Raj in Maharashtra 8. The Politics of Municipal Government in Maharashtra 9. Communalism in Maharashtra 10. The Shiv Sena's New Avatar : Marathi Chauvinism and Hindu Communalism 11. The Political Dynamics of Action Groups in Rural Maharashtra 12. Regional Imbalance in Maharashtra and Politics of Development Board for Vidarbha 13. The Political Economy of Irrigation in Maharashtra 14. The Politics of Protecting the Poor During Economic Adjustment in India: The Case of Maharashtra About the Author: Usha Thakkar is Professor and Head, Department of Politics, S.N.D.T. Women`s University, Mumbai. She obtained her Ph.D.from the University of Mumbai, and has done post-doctoral research at the University of Chicago, Cornell University and York University. She writes a regular column, in Pravasi, a Gujarati newspaper, and her publications include two books Kautilya`s Arthashastra (with Usha Mehta), Chand & Co. 1980; and Women and Men Voters (with Usha Mehta et.al.) Election Archives,1981. Mangesh Kulkarni is Lecturer, Department of Politics, S.N.D.T. Women`s University, Mumbai. He obtained his M.Phil. from the University of Mumbai and is currently engaged in doctoral research. His publication`s include A Terrorist of the Spirit (with R.Hoskote), Harper Collins, 1992; and articles in scholarly journals like The South Asia Bulletin (New York) and the Economic & Political Weekly. He recently visited the U.S.A. to present a paper at the annual conference of the American Political Science Association, in NewYork.