Since the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a lot has been written on Hindu nationalism. Prime Minister Modi’s ascendency has similarly resulted in a plethora of books and articles on Hindu populism. However, most of the literature does not distinguish between the two. Hindu nationalism and Hindu populism overlap, particularly in Modi’s India and Modi’s BJP, but they are not the same. In this article, after a discussion on Hinduism’s affinity to populism, an attempt has been made to distinguish between Hindu nationalism and Hindu populism based on an analysis of Hindutva parties’ election manifestos. Since independence, three Hindutva parties have made a name for themselves at the national level: Hindu Mahasabha, Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) and BJP. Based on their importance and success at the national level, one manifesto of Hindu Mahasabha, two manifestos of BJS and four manifestos of the BJP were analyzed based on criteria chosen after literature review. The results show that while Hindu nationalism was strong and visible in early Hindutva parties (Hindu Mahasabha and BJS), Hindu populism was weak and sporadic. Interestingly, for the BJP, there is rise and then drop in Hindu nationalism while Hindu populism has consistently increased.

Recent democratization in the Muslim-majority countries (MMCs) has led to a surge in interest in the Islamist (or Islamic) parties. Research on these parties has, however, been plagued by the lack of agreement on identifying these parties. Analysis of various ways used to identify/define Islamist parties shows shortcomings. This article tries to resolve the conundrum by identifying these parties within a comparative framework, that is, Gunther and Diamond party typology. Two major types of Islamist parties are identified and placed within the Gunther and Diamond typology. This solution has two advantages. First, discussions on Islamist parties can now become more grounded, restricting analysts from labeling any conservative party in the MMCs as Islamist. Second, Islamist parties can be part of the general discussion on political parties in the literature, and inclination to regard them as singular or exceptional, because of their link with Islam, is discouraged.

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