 The continuation of a one party system, which was the Congress party, composed mostly of upper-caste leadership, came to an end.This was partly due to economic liberalisation in India which reduced the control the state had on the economy and thus the lower castes, and partly due to an upsurge in caste based parties that made the politics of lower caste empowerment a central part of there political agenda.It should be pointed out that these new political parties emerged not on a national level but on a village and regional level, and were most dominant in North India.