In the recent past, the phenomenon of 'criminalization of politics' has been much debated in the media, but it has not attracted adequate scholarly attention. In India, this phenomenon is not new for the country's democracy. This book examines the phenomenon, whose roots lies in the very process of democratization. It traces the trajectory of the political economy of the India's state of Bihar, and its engagement with the question of land and caste that has lead to the criminalization of politics. Certain idioms and/or registers of politics, which are seen as anachronistic to impersonal modern institutions, are central to this study. The patron-client relationship in Indian politics - which is affirmed and perpetuated through caste, community, kinship, and family relationships - has been woven into the study, giving academic credence to what is otherwise relegated to the realm of idle rumor, hearsay, and gossip. [Subject: India Studies, Sociology, Politics]