2014: The Election That Changed India

by Rajdeep Sardesai

With a new prologue
‘Splendid . . . anyone who wants to understand Indian politics or think they do should read it’ -Indian Express
‘Delightfully written . . . he has a sharp eye for details, especially the actions of political leaders’ -
India Today
‘Captures the drama of 2014 and the men who powered it’-Open
‘Holds you to your seat, often on the edge . . . A procession of India’s colourful political characters—Lalu Yadav, Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, Narendra Modi and many more come intimately close through the author’s accounts’ -The Hindu
‘Candid and forthright . . . and deliciously indiscreet’ -Hindustan Times
‘A racy narrative that goes beyond recording immediate political history’ -Tehelka
The 2014 Indian general elections has been regarded as the most important elections in Indian history since 1977. It saw the decimation of the ruling Congress party, a spectacular victory for the BJP and a new style of campaigning that broke every rule in the political game. But how and why? In his riveting book, Rajdeep Sardesai tracks the story of this pivotal election through all the key players and the big news stories. Beginning with 2012, when Narendra Modi won the state elections in Gujarat for a third time but set his sights on a bigger prize, to the scandals that crippled Manmohan Singh and UPA-II, and moving to the back-room strategies of Team Modi, the extraordinary missteps of Rahul Gandhi and the political dramas of election year, he draws a panoramic picture of the year that changed India.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, India, History, Asia, Indian Literature, Current Affairs

401 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2014

About the author

Rajdeep Sardesai is an Indian news anchor and author.

Reviews

[Aneesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I have worked with this man my respect has gone up for him after reading this book. He is a really good Journalist and it speaks in every well researched page....he has taken on Modi the most powerful man in India...that needs guts. He has also not disappointed in giving us an option insight into Rahul G and all other players...a must read

[Shipra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very well written. While reading it, you feel like you are watching a movie. It unfolds the political scene in the country in the election that was to forever change India'.

[Karthik BS · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book offered only countable instances of something 'Special' or new. Most of the anecdotes and stories mentioned were known. Rajdeep's experience as a journalist and a political insider could have been used as a leverage to give us a more gripping story of the election. What we get is a mundane account of the election campaign and its players.

The book is full of repetition, especially, "in a sense", "my sense" which gets really annoying. Every quote is followed by "... is what he had to say about it" or something to that effect. Many incoherent passages really irritate a careful reader.

This is the only book by Sardesai I have read. Will not call him a bad writer, but he is definitely better on screen.

[Aashish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rajdeep Sardesai is one of the most prominent journalists in India, with a long track record of covering national politics. Whatever be one's ideological and political leanings, it should not be tough to acknowledge that Rajdeep has covered this field better than most of his contemporaries. This is especially true of his TV shows - on most elections days, his channel and shows were the most reasoned among all available.

With that backdrop, this book comes across as a bit of a dampener. The book covers backgrounds of all key personalities engaged in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and narrates how the election made a big imprint on Indian politics, likely permanently. However, the book is rich in incidents but not very rich in insights.

Rajdeep covers great ground in terms of breadth. There are about two or three dozen "exclusives" thrown in - remarks made by leaders, off the record statements now made public and so on. But for a 350 page book, that's like one revelation every 10 pages or so. Other than that, this reads more like a collection of reports on events in the run up to India's loudest and one of the most significant elections.

The writing style itself is breezy. This is very easy read. Rajdeeps' experience as a TV journalist clearly shows - the sentences are short and designed to make impact. The narrative is weaved quite well. One for the collection and for recap, but not to dive deep in any one area related to the elections.

If the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were a cricket match, this sounds like ball by ball commentary with some past statistics thrown in. It does not sound like a match report - which unfortunately is a missed opportunity, given the vast experience and knowledge the author brings in.

[Kaustubh Kirti · Rating 2 out of 5]

2014 Elections that changed INdia is an interesting read not just because of the passion of the author capturing every moment but the story behind it. THe story definately is always important and the author has done justice to capture as much as he could.

Though I would call this book a travesty, a one sided affair. The critiques both Rahul and Modi but keeps the till towards Rahul Gandhi. HE tries continuously to cover most of the shortfalls in the Congress moves maybe blaming on the other politicians, their incoherent strategy or any other thing. WHat is even worse is when he just shruggs off the scams like CWG, Coal gate , 2G and does not even mention NDTV, NIra Radia or Barkha Dutt in any of it.

YEs Mr Desai you are correct we you say Rahul Gandhi gave away the chair to Modi but elaborate more on their shortfalls. MErely criticising Modi on every sentence and pointing out his errors here and there will not do justice to your researched book. Author has given a clear verdict that MOdi is the butcher of Gujarat and he would be the same always. Rahul a management consultant is probably what India wants but he is yet "infant" probably to take such challenge.

THe book is good no doubt. YOu get to live those countless days and years that lead to 2014 but I sensed a one sided show from the book. Utter sham and thieves that characterised UPA 2 was missing. What was missing was the blatant story of corruption, utter insensitive behaviour towards people that broke the bone of COngress.

COngress lost not because of one Rahul Gandhi wrong interview with ARnab or lack of social media he lost because of his party's mind set. their mid set of corrpution of stealing which people now know can never change.

[Sushil Pasricha · Rating 5 out of 5]

extremely sharp and riveting account of elections-2014. not sure whether 2014 elections would change India or not but certainly the way elections will be fought in the country going forward has changed. As much as I loved this book, I felt equally saddened by one particular event - Rajdeep was asked to leave CNN-IBN just because he dared to broadcast Google hangout with Kejriwal. Someone's future, who started and nurtured the channel along with 26 years of fine career in journalism is dependent on whims and fancies of one man. Makes me wonder who is more autocratic - Mukesh Bhai or Narendra Bhai!

[Rohit Ghai · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over 850 million voters, the grand old party of India challenged by one man, the first true election in the social media age...the Indian General Elections 2014 had all the elements of a commercial potboiler. For a person like me who closely followed every aspect of this mega event, and enjoyed its twists and turns, this book was an opportunity to recapitulate the moments and to have an insider's viewpoint on the incidents that led to the buildup, and finally the culmination.

An opportunity well presented...but not quite well utilized.

Rajdeep tries to weave a tale but ends up speaking of things that everyone knew already. There are some instances where he does come out with insights, but they are too few and far in between (one such instance is when he cites Kejriwal's failed campaign in UP). Moreover, the story is said from his point of view - agreed, since he is the author after all, but then how many people would be genuinely interested in what he thought of the whole thing? Yes, if Rahul Gandhi or Narendra Modi had written about their experiences during this election, I would lap it up gladly. But as it stands, the Gandhi can't speak and the Modi has moved on into his '24/7 PM/CEO/Marketing Head/everything in between' role, and the third (at least he thought he was) player (a certain MufflerMan) would mostly fill the pages with charges against everyone involved in the elections, culminating in a possible charge sheet against himself. And so we have to make do with Rajdeep.

So what do we end up with? As stated before, a bland review that doesn't do much justice to the blockbuster elections India witnessed. Maybe good for someone who shut off the internet, television and newspapers for the twelve months that preceded the D-Day. For the rest, savor your memories instead.

[Pradeep T · Rating 2 out of 5]

What more can you expect from a hate monger? Classic example of a person who hates an individual personality larger than his own life. Rajdeep has done it again and he will be doing it even when he retires from active journalism. What kind of an example he is setting in this book? Titled this book as "2014 Election that changed India" and speak about 2002 Gujarat riots for whole first section of the book. I failed to even assume that, Rajdeep has an affinity towards Rahul Gandhi. Rajdeep was more apologetic than Rahul Gandhi for the congress failure in 2014 elections. In every chapter his hatred towards Hinduism, BJP is evident. Speaks about Hindu extremism, about Saffron, about everything he hates about the majority and covers little to nothing about those "minorities" as he puts it. I was under the impression that, he was secretly promoting AAP while preaching about moral compass to others. He has proved it right. He was secretly admiring AAP and even went a step ahead and covered more good points about Kejriwal than Narendra Modi. For Rajdeep, Narendra Modi is a narcissist whereas Rahul Gandhi is a novice politician. Overall, a book full of one sided remarks, about those moments when he says "a senior BJP leader told me" or "a politician told me so and so with the request of anonymity" kind of bull**** stories. I am giving this book 2 stars just for the sole reason of his detailed explanation about the election campaign strategies that adopted by various political parties, and few statistical data about 2014 elections.

[Sudhir R · Rating 2 out of 5]

"The Election that changed India" is a complete irrelevant title to this book... Rajdeep's writing is fantastic though, with a commendable pace that holds the bearing and sprinkles of masala at regular interval, which makes the reading smooth and interesting... After reading it, the very first question that crossed my mind was, what was the need to write this book at all??? When 2014 General election is so very fresh on our minds... Like any other frustrated Congress worker, an under current burn and pain for Rahul's deficiency to live up to the reputation of the first political family of India is visibly clear... His bias for Modi is perpetual, as nowhere he has credited the Prime-minister of his acumens of winning the Election. Instead he has come up with unique analyses of marketing and positioning... At times he makes you feel that he is quite justified by the spank that he got at Madison Square... To hell with his typical Pseudo-Secularism... I think he needs a serious sounding off, that no Journalism is above a Country and it's dignity...

[Saurabh · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is too voluminous which bores you alot at times, wasn't able to read the epilogue in the end as I somehow finished reading the chapters. A disclaimer that I am not too much into politics so maybe that factor would have played a role in me not liking the book a lot.
On a positive note, this book do provide insights into the election strategy of both Congress and BJP. It depicts the contrasting stance taken up by Rahul and Modi towards media, the innovative ways used by the BJP not used in any of the previous elections by any of the parties. But many things seemed repetitive in a way as to how BJP did everything right and Congress, almost everything wrong.
Author did a good job in covering all the major events leading up to the final result day on May 16. He also touched the politics of major states like UP and Bihar separately, devoting a full chapter to the elections of Amethi and Varanasi which became a centre of political drama.
Overall, an Okay book to read, but one which can be easily skipped.

[Wayne2486 · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was expecting an unbiased account of the elections, and the characters involved in it. Instead, Sardesai paints himself as the omnipresent, ever-watchful guardian of Indian democracy. If I hadn't seen the cover of the book, I would have taken it as apologist Congress propaganda.
A one-sided book.
Also, his comments on economic policy are pretty stupid. Perhaps he should go back to college and do Economics 101 again.

[Jayapradeep Jiothis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Compilation of known facts thru newspaper reports and the authors own jaundiced views

[Bhave Ashwin Raj Bandi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok read

Ok read, lot of unheard/unverified stories. Nothing new apart from these stories. May be some responsible authority can confirm the truth.

[Sudheer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Rajdeep is pompous at his best. He is glorifying himself in his book that all I can say.he just trying to analyse people by his own pair of glasses which many people do not share

[Srivallik · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great book but can read once to gauge how bjp managed 2014 elections.At times it appeared that author was partial and had reserved views and showed favortism as journalist .

[Raju · Rating 1 out of 5]

completely disappointed with the book

[Niti Beri · Rating 5 out of 5]

All through 2014, the election excitement dominated every conversation. Office lunches, social gatherings or client meetings, there was absolutely no escape. And given my political naivety, I almost felt alienated.This made me resolve to be better equipped to handle the situation, not only because I wanted to feel included, but also because I realized (albeit late) that as a responsible citizen I need to be well informed about the political scenario in my country so as to ensure that my voting choices are robust for the years to come.

In an attempt to amp up my political IQ, Rajdeep's book "2014 The Election That Changed India" was an obvious choice. Why? For quite sometime social media has been abuzz with discussions around his anti-Modi views, his extreme political opinions and a few news incidents around the same. I thought to myself, I should rather read an extremist's views so that it becomes easier to assume the other end of the spectrum. With my limited knowledge on the subject, picking up an author with moderate political views would have made it difficult for me to estimate the variance on either sides.

And what a wonderful read this has been!

With the narrative so gripping, I could not help but fall in love with Rajdeep's style of writing. It was as if I was living each moment of the drama that Indian Politics is. If I were to draw a literary analogy, I would say that reading this book was like reading a well written version of Mahabharata. After all, both are tales of the battle for Power. Just that, the characters in today's "Rajneeti" seem to be more complex than their counterparts from the yesteryear. And of course, the weapons today, namely television, radio and social media are more powerful than the "Shastras" of the past.

The role of the lead actors, the supporting actresses and the crew; the historical events that influenced the psychology and the strategy of the characters have been elaborated so well that as I read the book, it was as if all of this drama was unfolding right in front of me in that moment.

My perception about Rajdeep had been colored by the opinions of the people around. However, while reading the book I realized that many of these perceived notions were misplaced. Or let me just say that, Rajdeep has done justice to the book by at least maintaining an unbiased and neutral stand as he wrote it. This makes me respect the journalist and author in him. He has just listed the facts from his vantage point.

While I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the length and breadth of Indian Politics better, I believe that the book has a larger appeal. It might give a few lessons in business strategy and definitely help you understand what an integrated marketing campaign truly means.Had I been a marketing professor, I would have made it compulsory for my students to read Chapter 8 from this book - its a two way case study; BJP's campaign tells you what to do to ensure success and Congress' campaign shows you what not to do to avoid failure.

All in all this book is worth a read. You could agree with Rajdeep's narrative or criticize him but in either case you will enjoy reading this book.The book also is a perfect example of how to communicate things in simple language so that it would resonate with readers of all kinds.

[Rahul Mitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are unfamiliar or out of touch with what happened in India in 2014, and the current political situation, then this book is a must-read. However, if you have been following the news and have been active on social media, I would say there's not much new or startling in this book. It's a good record of everything that happened and lays it down for you to refresh your memory anytime you think 'How did we get here?' and it will build a picture of things you had a vague idea about and make them concrete, but if you are looking for some expose or secrets, there's nothing like that here.

Personally, I respect Rajdeep as a journalist and believe that he is mostly unbiased. Those who consider him to be a 'Congress dalaal' will be quite disappointed with this book, for if anything he has been kind to Modi and the picture he paints of Rahul Gandhi is pathetic. This, in my opinion, is the best part of the book- the portraits he paints of Modi, Rahul Gandhi, Kejriwal and a few other leaders. We already know this, and have certain impressions of these leaders- but Rajdeep gives you instance after instance where these leaders behaved in certain ways, thus helping us build a more complete picture of the person behind the public image. In fact, reading this book has made me give up hope of any Congress-led effective opposition emerging in the country, given the picture this book paints of Raga.

On the other hand, there are a lot of positive things he says about Modi and his teams efficiency, drive, hard work, ruthlessness and Machiavelli-ism employed in the campaign. On this front, I strongly felt that Rajdeep was pulling his punches and didnt really go flat out and say things related to the more controversial aspects of Modi and Shah's past.

All put together, that is exactly what the book is- a few riveting points (the character sketches of the leaders), a record of all the important happenings in the build up to the elections and yet, nothing really new or earth shaking. If you've kept an independent mind and spirit and noticed things hapenning in social media and in life during that time, I don't think there is anything new you will find here. But its still worth buying and reading once, even if just for the record, for 2014 was indeed, world changing for all us Indians.

[Rahul Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rajdeep Sardesai; one of India’s best-known TV journalists puts the 2014 elections in the same league as 1952 & 1977 and presents an exhaustive account of the election that 'rightly' changed India. He points out how the polls marked a gradual shift in the Indian politics destroying age old barriers of caste and creed.

Whether it is the infamous 'Cash for Votes' scandal or Modi appearing as BJP spokesperson in the early 90's or the Rahul Gandhi interview with Arnab Goswami or his personal equation with Narendra Modi; the book is filled with many such interesting anecdotes from his career spanning more than two decades. The beauty of his writing style is that is as racy, engrossing and gripping as a thriller novel. Set mainly between the period of 2012-2014, the book gives an exhaustive account of the 2014 elections and gives an insight into what went into the making of 'Brand Modi'. I was particularly amazed when I read how brilliantly the BJP had used media to reach people across the country and the micromanagement up to the booth levels with the help of RSS pracharks.

One of the best things about the book is that it doesn't take any sides. It is not pro or anti anyone and maintains a neutral undertone. I was a bit disappointed as there isn't much of a 'revelation' or 'gossip' as one would expect from a journalist of his stature with years of experience. Like Tavleen Singh's DURBAR offered great unheard anecdotes related to the Gandhi family. However, it is a brilliant account on the 2014 Lok Sabha elections which were indeed historic in more than one way.

Politics in India is quite like a Farah Khan pot-boiler - it has dance, drama, emotion, action. So, if you are reading a book on 'raajneeti'; you tend to expect the same and THE ELECTION THAT CHANGED INDIA doesn't disappoint! I would strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to understand the making of 15th Prime Minister of India.

[E.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is years since I watched a news "debate" but around 2013-14, Rajdeep Sardesai was my favourite anchor. While his wife Sagarika Ghose is the mirror image of Sudarshan TV's Chavanke, I found Sardesai to be less biased than the others in the mainstream English news media of that time that was clearly dominated by left-liberals. I remember how delighted I was to be able to attend the promotion of this book in Tata Litlive in Mumbai 2014.
Without going indepth into statistics, this book gives a good all-round view of the elections of 2014. The various personalities, the various factors, the various regions have all been covered in reasonable detail. The tone of the book is quite engaging and not snobbish or preachy.
Alongwith War Room: The People, Tactics and Technology behind Narendra Modi's 2014 Win which focuses on the personalities behind the 2014 elections and How the BJP Wins: Inside India s Greatest Election Machine which details the strategies, this book completes the picture.
This was my second book by the author after his book on cricket Democracy's XI: The Great Indian Cricket Story. I was pleasantly surprised by both and the author Sardesai is as good as the journalist/editor.

[Saransh Chhabra · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. More so because it is about the most talked about and discussed marathon event that occurred in the last 20 or so years in India and most of us, like me, have lived thorough it. We followed the elections, discussed and debated it and felt that a new chapter in the politics of India was opened on that one critical day, May 16, 2014. Living thorough it all again is always worth it.

Since the 2014 elections are so fresh in the memory of each and every one of us, the book fails to surprise the reader. It has very few things that the public at large does not know about. The book is more like a compilation of all the stories, narratives, characters, plots and sub-plots that played themselves out during those election months.

Very well written. The narrative is very clear and crisp. Rajdeep Sardesai could strike a fine balance of a being a story-teller and did not interfere the story with his personal biases and prejudices.

I appreciate the book because it is an opportunity to live those months of elections again and again. When the despair, frustration and helplessness of the entire nation was palpable, Modi brought hope to the table. For the time when the whole of India, especially youth became political and took it upon themselves to teach the people in power a lesson that resoundingly reverberated and stated - We the people are the ultimate masters!

A book to be kept for the generations to come!

[Soyahere · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting read. The author has tried to be balanced in his views about both Congress and BJP leaders but sometimes his wariness (or paranoia?) about Modi does show through. At one point he writes, "In private conversation, she sounded a bit like Mother Teresa". 'She' is you know who. Wow.
It is a very well written book, paced to keep the reader engaged throughout. I wouldn't say the book revealed some unknown perspective to me - it confirmed some theories about the relationship between media - politicians and the entire election preparation process.
* spoiler alert *
The one part that surprised me was about the Raj Thackeray interview that viewers will remember as a very hostile one with Raj Thackeray constantly ordering Rajdeep to put his hand down and all that drama. Once the interview was over, Raj Thackeray apparently relaxed and asked Rajdeep something along the lines of, did you like my acting! Lesson reinforced: Nothing on camera can be taken for granted as real/genuine. Political news and interviews are also variants of reality tv in a way.

[Bulbul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been hooked to the book so much so that I woke up at 3.30 am to finish it. Many people have claimed it is Anti Modi but I wonder which book will be pro Modi. I mean... the guys needs to be a saint for that and he is definitely NOT a saint. I didn't find it anti anything.
The book is a coverage of the 2014 elections. Rajdeep has talked about each politician... the rise and fall of the politician... the entire strategy during the elections. Some parts sickened me because I realized how dirty politics actually is.
Rajdeep has had a ring side view of politics for a long time and has in depth knowledge about what goes on. He has bared everything in the book... atleast I think he has.
An excellent book.

[Prasannajeet Pani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the introduction of Naveen Patnaik in the book, "Naveenbabu is a fascinating politician whose life can be divided into two distinct halves. Before joining politics, he had enjoyed the high life— he had partied with Jackie Kennedy and Gore Vidal, he had written books on herbs and gardens, and his plush Aurangzeb Road residence was home to many wine- and- cheese evenings. In 2000, he became Odisha chief minister from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), carrying forward a family inheritance. He could barely speak Oriya at the time and had hardly lived in Bhubaneshwar."

[Amit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining read! I was a touch apprehensive based on several negative reviews of the alleged bias / one-sided nature of the narration, but the book itself is quite balanced. For a debut novel, I think the author does quite well. Modi comes across as a determined, pragmatic albeit a touch ruthless individual and Rahul Gandhi comes across as a dithering champion of missed opportunities, neither of which seems far from the truth. For someone like me who doesn't follow Indian newsprint on a daily basis, this was an excellent round up of the days leading up to the 2014 elections

[Lavanya Ramakrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first attempt at reading a book on Politics and I'm more than impressed by the candid style of Rajdeep Sardesai's writing. I've always liked him as a journalist, he doesn't let you down as an author either. Although the book focuses on the 2014 general elections, it does provide us with insights into Indian politics in general. I think Rajdeep is fortunate to be acquainted with various key players in politics. The work is based on his observations and findings (He is definitely being non-aligned). This book is a great pick, especially for those new to the genre.

[Julian Douglass · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great account of what happened in India in 2014, what led to the rout, and the dynamics that played out there. Considering I knew next to nothing about Indian politics, I found this book to be a good primer into what was at least contemporary Indian politics. Obviously, the writer had some biases, but I felt that this was a fair enough look into the whole 2014 election. Interesting read for sure.

[Pankaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read. Describes about NM and RG in detail just before the build up of Elections in 2014, their motivations and so on.
A must read for all those who believe in NaMo and wants to know some background before he emerged as a National Figure.

[Priyankit Rangi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well written book coupled with astute facts and inside stories behind the Rise of Modi and undoing of Rahul G. A must read. RECOMMENDED !! Specially for Blind Modi Bhakts,

[Hari K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad a book , though not a great one either . Liked the writing and flow of the book . May be interesting to read it after 4 years to recapture the memories .