Political competition encouraged the rise of a new set of leaders. Eventually the traditional power brokers were unable to distribute patronage widely enough to prevent the rise of alternative brokers serving more particularistic networks. The alternatives to the Congress Party were generally not parties but patronage machines organized around personalities rather than issues. By 1967, the Congress Party had lost its majority. These workers, in turn, build networks of personal relationships, obliging as many people as possible to vote.
Local politicians are busy attending funeral, marriage, and birthday receptions.
To ensure that these politicians will be remembered at election time, jobs and favors must be provided. Because of civil service rules that prevent firing government employees, each government increases its size and control over the economy. To maximize these opportunities, politicians need information from bureaucrats about future construction sites, new factories, and public buildings. Control over the allocation of urban land is a key political resource. They help illegal builders grab DDA land to build houses and shops that are sold to unwitting buyers.