In his new book, ‘2024: The Election That Surprised India’, Rajdeep Sardesai brings an in-depth account of the surprising turn of events that resulted from the last Indian general election. Through a journalist’s perspective, informed by ground reporting and behind-the-scenes conversations, the book examines the challenges faced by the BJP’s powerful electoral machinery, which resulted in a reduced tally of 242 seats compared to 303 in 2019.
When Sardesai began writing this book in the summer of 2023, he was convinced that the 2024 elections would result in a decisive victory for the Modi government, securing over 280 seats in the Lok Sabha. Consequently, his initial idea was to title the book ‘Hat-Trick’. He was not alone in this belief; many pollsters and media outlets were captivated by ‘Modi ki Guarantee’ and the spectacle of his event-driven politics.
With its engaging prose, the book looks at Indian elections not just through the lens of numbers but also talks about broader conversations on the state of Indian democracy, voter behaviour and the media narrative. The narrative is rich with anecdotes and conversations, revealing insights into the nature of Indian politics.
Published by HarperCollins India, ‘2024: The Election That Surprised India’ will be released on 28 November on SoftCover, ThePrint’s online platform for launching non-fiction books.
The book is divided into 14 chapters. Each chapter answers pressing questions about Indian electoral politics: How did the BJP’s ambitious ‘Abki Baar Char Sau Paar’ campaign fail to resonate with the Indian electorate? How did the Rahul Gandhi-led Congress manage to stage a potential comeback? What was the role of enforcement agencies, and media coverage in the outcome of the election? Was this election truly free and fair? Did BJP’s narrative resonate with the Indian voters? Rajdeep Sardesai answers all these questions and more in this new book.
Based on his ground reports and journalistic experience, Sardesai delves into the story of the Lok Sabha elections in this new book. He has previously authored bestselling books on previous elections: ‘2014: The Election That Changed India’ and ‘2019: How Modi Won India’.
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