Following Political Actors: Multi-Site Comparative Study of BJP & Congress Campaign Rallies in 2024 Indian Elections

• In Event: 40420 - Section on Political Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 3: Electoral Politics 2

Abstract

The verdict of the 2024 national elections in India paved the way for the Baratiya Janata Party- led alliance to form a government for the third consecutive time under Narendra Modi’s leadership. However, this victory did not match the results of the previous two elections, and the BJP must now rely on its regional allies to form a stable coalition government. The Oppositional Alliance, led by leader Rahul Gandhi, won 205 seats, with the Indian National Congress (INC) alone nearly doubling its tally from 52 to 99 seats. Exit polls had predicted a landslide victory for Modi; many expert observers, including academics, had also projected Modi as the ultimate undefeatable populist leader. The bigger question is how and why there is a return to coalition politics and strong opposition in contrast to the prediction of ‘poll pandits’ and scholarly groups.

Through an in-depth comparative analysis of the political performances of PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi during the election campaign, this paper argues that the campaign witnessed a pivotal shift in audience engagement as voters began to disengage with populist leader Modi’s persona and increasingly resonated with Rahul Gandhi’s performative script. Despite initial weaknesses in Gandhi’s campaign, his performances displayed a willingness to challenge Modi’s regime and empathize with people’s struggles.

I combined multi-site ethnography of election rallies in 5 states and 16 cities/towns/villages with 75 in-person interviews of those who attended campaign rallies and roadshows. The geographical variation captured differences in the rallies’ mises-en-scene and attendant modifications in the political actors’ performances. This paper concludes that performances of contrasting and opposing binaries of ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ mobilized voters, shifting the electoral outcome.

Author

• Shivani Choudhary, Yale University