Biradari as a Mechanism of Electoral Control: Evidence from District Khairpur Mir’s, Sindh.

Abstract

This paper examines the idea of Biradari (kinship networks) as an instrument of electoral control in rural Sindh, based on empirical research data on District Khairpur Mir’s. Even though the notion of Biradari has always been considered as a significant characteristic of the Pakistani electoral politics, available studies have generally approached it as a cultural phenomenon to be described, but not quantified, as one of the political processes. To fill this gap, the current study will operationalize Biradari influence as an analytical variable and analyse its connection with voter turnout by a cross-sectional quantitative survey that will be carried out during the 2018 General Elections. The data were gathered through 1,504 registered voters in all the eight tehsils of the district and were examined by cross-tabulations and chi-square tests. The results show that there is a high and statistically significant level of Biradari endorsement and vote choice ( 2 = 312. 6, p = 0.001) and a significant majority of Biradari-influenced voters cast their votes in favor of the endorsed candidates. The findings also indicate that the electoral decision making is always collective and most of the voters use Biradari, family, or local leadership paths as opposed to using an individual preference. These results dispute individualist theories of voting and provide empirical validation of the theory of networked clientelism and electoral brokerage which represent voting as a socially coordinated action. This study will be a methodological and empirical contribution in the literature of rural electoral politics in Pakistan, as it turns Biradari into a quantifiable instrument of electoral control.