Page 1 www.TheIndiaForum.in July 5, 2019 TIF - The Disruptive Politics of Renewable Energy NAVROZ K DUBASH ASHWINI K SWAIN PARTH BHATIA July 5, 2019 Windmills producing electricity (Credit: Doshiji)| CC BY-SA 2.0 In making the shift to renewable energy, India has to manage the disruption of long-standing institutional and political arrangements in ways that enable clean energy in a sustainable manner. 1.Introduction Electricity is deeply entwined with India’s political economy. Among the first acts of newly independent India was the passage in 1948 of the Electricity Act: provision of electricity to its citizens was among the most powerful symbols of the benefits of an independent nation. The electoral salience of electricity has scarcely dimmed, with claims and counter-claims even in 2019 from the major parties of being the ones to provide electricity to rural populations. Promises of price controls and subsidies to farmers and other groups is the currency of electoral competition in many states. Almost a quarter century of electricity reform has sought to sever the link between electricity and politics, by re-making governance of the sector along market lines or by introducing arms-length technocratic governance. Yet, the relationship between the two remains stubbornly persistent; Indian electricity remains deeply woven into the fabric of Indian politics.