The Great March Of Democracy

The book, starting with a powerful Foreword by former President, Late Sh. Pranab Mukherjee contains 4 parts.

Part 1 brings togeather essays dealing with foundational ideas which has inspired Democracy in India, and which India must aspire to attain and preserve;

Part-2 provides insights into the historical journey of elections and Election Commission of India, with its success, failures, highs and lows, thereby documenting the eventful journey of electoral politics and democracy in India till date.

Part- 3 deal with the point of view of various stakeholders of the elections, democracy and politics in India;
And part-4 deals with challenges and issues facing electoral politics in India in contemporary times and how to resolve them.

Thus this book, provides a cocktail of multifaceted perspectives on the festival of democracy written by plethora of personalities hailing of different backgrounds which will surely broaden the reader’s mental horizons.

Some of the most interesting articles include Mukulika Bannerjee’s analysis on why India votes?; S.Y. Quraishi’s take on how voter participation increased by increasing awareness of voters; Christophe Jaffrelot’s analysis on the role of T.N. Seshan in the Election Commission; Meghnad Desai’s analysis of how Bollywood has depicted the downfall of Indian Politics through the ages; Rahul Verma’s take on the relevance of exit polls in India; and Milan Vaishnav’s take on abuse of money and muscle power during elections and many more.

Mark Tully and Paul Wallace’s experience of observing the Indian election up close give refreshing perspectives on the Indian electoral phenomenon through eyes. Ila Sharma, and Dasho Kunzang Wangdi provide important insights on how the officers at the Election Commission of India and state Election Commissions have helped in executing elections in Nepal and Bhutan.

Elections in India are a matter of great pride. India adopted universal adult franchise just after its Independence, which many in the Western countries considered an ambitious endeavour doomed to fail. The successful execution of the first elections proved everyone wrong and became a landmark event in world history. India has not looked back since then. India is about to embark on its 18th General election and has also successfully conducted innumerable state elections as well.

Filled with rich insights and eye-opening perspectives, the book is an outstanding documentation on the phenomenon of Indian Elections and clearly justify as to why Elections in India is considered a Festival of Democracy. This is truly a must-read this election season.