The Backstage of Democracy
India's Election Campaigns and the People Who Manage Them

Offers an insight into the secret world of campaign professionals who work behind-the-scenes in India's election campaigns.

Amogh Sharma (Author)

9781009423984, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 9 January 2025

382 pages
23.5 x 16 x 2.8 cm, 0.703 kg

Over the last decade, election campaigns in India have undergone a dramatic shift. Political parties increasingly rely on political consulting firms, social media volunteers, pollsters, data-driven insights, and hashtag wars to mobilize voters. What is driving these changes in the landscape of electioneering? The Backstage of Democracy takes readers to the hidden arena of strategizing and deliberations that takes place between politicians and a new cabal of political professionals as they organize election campaigns in India. The book argues that this change is not reducible to a story of technological innovations alone. Rather, it is indicative of a new political culture where ideas of political expertise, the distribution of power within parties, and citizens' attitudes towards political participation have undergone a profound change. Marshalling an eclectic range of data sources, the book breaks new ground on how we understand the workings of India's electoral and party politics.

List of Tables
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
Glossary
Preface & Acknowledgements
1. Introduction: Situating the Backstage of India's Democracy
2. A Causal Framework for Professionalisation of Politics
3. A Brief History of Electioneering
4. 'Computer Boys' and 'Big Data' in the Indian National Congress
5. Reluctant Professionalisation in the Bharatiya Janata Party
6. The Rise of Political Consultants in India
7. The Everyday Life of Political Consulting Firms
8. Conclusion
Appendix: I-PAC Core Team Members' Dataset – A Methodological Note
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Constitution: government & the state [JPHC]