Since 1952, India has had 17 general elections. The 18th is underway — unfolding in seven phases. Over the years, the country has seen days of coalition politics and of absolute majority. Through it all, the election campaign has been a great unifier. Loud, colourful, and playing to the masses, politicians use every tool at their disposal to win over voters.
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In the early 1980s, I remember N.T. Rama Rao, the founder of Telugu Desam Party, shifting his image from that of a matinee idol to a politician. He was one of the first to customise a van — his old Chevrolet, which he named Chaitanya Ratham — to canvass. A far cry from the vanity vehicles that today’s politicians use (think Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Mohabbat ki Dukaan’ Volvo bus with its hydraulic lift), it was still a star attraction. Youngsters would throng the van, as there was talk that it was customised to include the amenities of a single-room apartment.
