The resulting unemployment and cultural cleansing thus makes it a very touchy issue. Many regional parties such as the Asom Gana Parishad made their mark by whipping the anti-outsider sentiment. Key issues that are unique to northeast politics are: 1. Managing migrations. The indigenous tribes often feel threatened by the migration of plains people, especially the Bengalis. 2. Fighting separatism. The region has the most number of separatist groups in India. The region borders 5 different countries and that makes policing quite hard. Many political groups had long fought to secede from India and a lot of them have significantly pacified now. But, tensions remain. 3. The nature of special provisions provided to the armed forces. 4, Protecting the various tribal practices. The region is among the most diverse in India. 5. Religious conversions. Various tribes such as the Nagas and Mizos have mostly converted to Christianity through a major evangelical push a century ago. This had led to tensions with tribes following indigenous religions. Western Pi itics: India's western state politics is often dominated by religious issues. The western states bore the biggest brunt of India's partition in 1947 and thus religious tensions run very high. There are plenty of Hindu refugees from Pakistan who are passionately pro-BJP. Other than Shiv Sena, there are no viable regional parties in the entire Western region. In the case of Maharashtra, although Congress dominated the state politics for the most part, the regional party of Shiv Sena built around the same anti-outsider platform of many northeastern parties, often held sway over the western part of the state, especially the city of Mumbai. Gujarat's and Rajasthan's regional elections often mirrored the national elections. These states often held clues of where the nation would head politically. Congress won whenever it won the center and vice versa. However, since the arrival of Narendra Modi in 2001 Gujarat had become the safest one for BJP. Rajasthanis on the other hand, religious vote BUP and Congress in an alternative fashion in the recent 5 elections. 176Although Karnataka is geographically a part of the south, in politics it is more closer to western India. Unlike other southern states, national politics hold the sway in the state. Like Maharashtra and Gujarat, the state is often a key battleground between the Congress and the various Janata variants, including the present BUP. Politics of Kerala and West Bengal: Although these states are 1000 kilometers apart, Kerala and West Bengal are similar in a lot of ways. From their passion for football to the domination of fish in their diet, these two states stand out in a lot of things from the rest of India. In case of politics, these are the two states that vote for the Communist Party. In the case of Kerala, the flirtation with Communism started soon after independence with the rise of the veteran socialist Pattom A. Thanu Pillai as the second Chief Minister of the state. Unions hold a very big ‘sway over all political parties and the voters religious alternate between Communist Party and the Congress in every other election. There is not much to differentiate between the two, in this state. West Bengal politics is somewhat similar, although the voters didn't alternate between the two parties. Between 1977 and 2011, they voted for a single party - Communist Party of India (Marxist) and was often mocked by mainstream media as a communist republic. Long periods of past famines and the lack of speed in land reforms is one reason for people's support for leftist ideas. Politics of Hindi Heartland This is the most populous part of India and dominates the national politics. More than any other region, caste mathematics make a very strong influence on the politics here. Both the top national parties - Congress and BJP have had a strong presence here, although since the start of the new millenium, Congress presence is waning. Thus, the recent contests were often fought between BJP and various local parties. Bihar had a very active political movement and along with the state of UP often decided the national politics. In return, the national government often had a strong grip on the state. However, as Congress started losing control over the Centre, the politics of Bihar went on a roller coaster. In the period between 1968 and 1980, the state was constantly having elections with no party unable to form a 177