The 2024 Lok Sabha Elections were markedly different from earlier ones. The tone of the elections was unique; more presidential than parliamentary, with the Prime Minister guaranteeing welfare and prosperity to the electorate, and projecting himself as a candidate on every seat. Campaigning was intense and bitter; relevant issues took the back seat while divisive utterances, appeals to religion, personal attacks and uncouth language predominated. With the last hurrahs yet to die down, it may be somewhat premature to comment on the election results, but the main trends had become obvious during the prolonged voting schedule, except to the so called psephologists.

Barring a few outliers like Yogendra Yadav, who were mercilessly trolled, no one had the courage to proclaim that BJP was not getting a clear majority, and the INDIA alliance was in the reckoning. Deliberately or otherwise, all pollsters got it wrong; which may be a manifestation of the poor state of psephology in India, or more plausibly, deliberate fudging for the lure of chai paani. Sad to say, except for a few honourable exceptions, like the present journal, throughout the election campaign, the press played a totally partisan role. The run-up to the elections deserves special mention. All parties brushed aside civil society’s concerns about the fielding of tainted candidates. Turncoats were shamelessly fielded by all parties, making up a fourth of the ruling party’s candidates. Two of the three Election Commissioners (ECs) were appointed hardly a week before the Elections, with no meaningful participation by the Opposition.

Notably, the Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on the ECs’ appointment process. Another watershed event was the unanimous Supreme Court judgement in the Electoral Bonds case, which shattered the Government’s carefully cultivated image of staying away from big ticket corruption. The manifestos of the main rivals were a study in contrast; while the BJP focused on ‘Modi’s guarantees,’ Hindutva and national security, the Congress promised economic Valhalla, and salvation for the backwards and deprived. But not mentioned in any manifesto were plans of garnering votes on the basis of caste and religion. The BJP sought votes on the basis of Hindutva, while the Congress Party pitched its appeal to the minorities and........

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