I am working as Assistant Professor at National Law University Orissa, Cuttack, India. I got my Ph.D. from Aligarh Muslim University. My doctoral thesis entitled “Caste and Community in U.P.: A Stu...view moreI am working as Assistant Professor at National Law University Orissa, Cuttack, India. I got my Ph.D. from Aligarh Muslim University. My doctoral thesis entitled “Caste and Community in U.P.: A Study of Electoral Politics since 1990” was acknowledged as a significant contribution to the understanding of voting patterns in the Uttar Pradesh. I was also awarded the UGC-Junior Research Fellowship in 2001. I have participated in number of national and international seminars, conferences and workshops. As a keen researcher, I have written two books, contributed more than 20 research articles in the field of political sociology and electoral studies and 11 book reviews in both national and international journals. I have also supervised number of survey programs in Uttar Pradesh organized by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), New Delhi. I have previously served at the Department of Political Science, A.M.U., Aligarh, as Lecturer for two years (1995-2007). Recently, I have been awarded the Shah Waliullah Award-2005 jointly with Prof. Faizan Mustafa for the Best Essay of the Year by IOS, New Delhi. Before joining National Law University, Orissa, I was serving as Assistant Professor of Political Science in KIIT Law School, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar.view less