2024: The Election that Surprised India review: When Modi magic waned

Modi did win and continues to be the Prime Minister. Yet, in hindsight, the BJP’s high-decibel campaign backfired in many ways. For one, it made many BJP workers complacent instead of enthusing them. Rather, the opposition seized on the slogan with a spring in their step, stoking fears across the country that a 400-plus tally in Parliament for the BJP would endanger the Constitution. They went to town with ‘Samvidhan Khatre Mein Hain,’ threatening the BJP’s hold on power. Almost.

Our understanding of general elections

Reduced to just 242 seats — far fewer than its previous tally of 303 — it was indeed a close shave for the ruling party, now propped up in power by allies such as N. Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar. Having scored a near self-goal, the logical question arises: how and why did the BJP, considered a well-oiled election machinery, misread the popular pulse and fall for such a disastrous course?

Also read: Elections 2024: The results we can be sure of

Thankfully, an answer to the puzzle can now be found in veteran journalist Rajdeep Sardesai’s voluminous book, 2024: The Election That Surprised India. Published by HarperCollins, the book that runs into some 500-odd pages, takes us behind many of the events that shaped this year’s contest and helps us understand what goes on beyond the public gaze in defining our participatory democracy.

Known for being a hard-nosed reporter-anchor currently employed with a 24/7 television channel, Rajdeep frequently hits the ground, and his grounded journalism comes through on every page of his latest book. For those expecting major, sensational disclosures, the book may disappoint. However, Rajdeep compensates with a steady stream of little-known snippets that enhance our understanding of the elections.

For one, the ‘Abki Baar Char Sau Paar’ slogan that nearly derailed the BJP wasn’t the product of a well thought-out strategy. Instead, someone suggested it at a meeting chaired by party president JP Nadda, and it got a life of its own minus prior approval of either Modi or his deputy, Home Minister Amit Shah. Subsequent internal party surveys showed the 400-seat goal to be unrealistic. But it was too late by then, and the BJP top leadership let the slogan run the course, willfully allowing its hubris to triumph over sound political logic.

Strewn with interesting nuggets

It is these delectable nuggets — scattered here and there — that enrich the book. And there are many. For example, did we know how Congress leader and foremost Modi-baiter Rahul Gandhi hit upon his favoured campaign theme of ‘Mohabbat ki Dukaan’ at a time when hate seemingly sweeps the nation?

Rajdeep unravels the mystery for us. According to him, it was during Gandhi’s padyatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir that a young man attempted to break the security cordon to meet him. It caught Gandhi’s attention, and he allowed the man to get close, giving him a hug. The man, by then in tears, profusely thanked him. “Nafrat ke bazaar mein aapne Mohabbat ki Dukaan kholi hai (In the marketplace of hate, you have opened a shop of love),” he told the Congress leader, and instantly, Gandhi had discovered his punch line.

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There are more such hidden gems strewn across the book, each possibly better than the last. My favourite, though, is the one related to Shah, considered a modern-day Chanakya. Rajdeep tells us that Shah was always loath to end up on the losing side, and when he was contesting his first college elections, he employed a rather dubious tactic to win against a female rival. On the day of voting, families of girl students, who outnumbered the boys, received anonymous calls warning that trouble was expected at the college. Parents developed cold feet, and few girls turned up. Shah won.

Speaking truth to power

There, however, are far more substantial revelations that have had a greater impact on the polity. Rajdeep’s book serves as a one-stop repository of everything that transpired between 2019 and 2024 — including the CAA protests, Delhi riots, farmers’ rallies, and the women wrestlers’ agitation — and the insights he provides on each event hold immense academic value.

His deeply researched book is certain to appeal to many. However, an entirely opposite response is expected from those aligned with the BJP. In episode after episode that Rajdeep has catalogued — including one where the ruling party allegedly uses its ‘washing machine’ strategy to break and topple opposition governments — Modi is portrayed unfavourably. Consider these examples: He describes Modi and Shah as “thuggishly transactional” in one section and states that in times of crisis and controversy, such as in Manipur, “Modi turned out to be escapist, irresponsible, unfeeling.”

Following the release of this book, Rajdeep will do well to brace for a fresh torrent of politically motivated opprobrium, notwithstanding the accolades from discerning readers. He recounts how Amit Malviya, the BJP IT cell chief, sent him offensive WhatsApp messages and threatened to take him down. Such threats will likely become even louder now. After all, speaking truth to power is never for the faint-hearted.