Book review | How Congress snatched victory in 2004 elections from jaws of defeat

When I picked up the book out of mere curiosity, I was unaware that it would end up engaging me fully, not allowing me to rest till I had finished reading it in its entirety despite my busy schedule. This has always been my test of a good book. Big authors and names don’t matter, neither do the issues. The question was always: Whether the narrative has been able to sustain interest or not beyond a few pages? A book where a political campaign has been captured from an advertising point of view is indeed rare in India. From bidding for the contract to victory, the story is full of excitement and reads like a thriller. The reader becomes a part of the advertisement agency that is handling the media campaign and sails or sinks with the fortunes of the company. [caption id=“attachment_10469221” align=“alignnone” width=“225”]  Image courtesy Twiter handle of @JayshreeSundar[/caption] The 2004 Lok Sabha elections were a surprise victory for the Congress and its alliance. Neither the winner — the Congress-led UPA — nor the loser — the National Democratic Alliance led by the BJP — had anticipated the results. Both sides were equally shocked. The BJP because it had lost despite the ‘India Shining’ campaign and the Congress because no one was ready to give it a chance of faring better than the BJP. But no victory comes as a fluke. Analysts have tried to give brilliant post-factor theories about how and why it happened. But no one has written with authority. Jayshree Sundar’s book is a breath of fresh air and it throws light on the efforts that changed the course of events. A brilliantly planned media campaign based on feedback from ground reality appears to have done the trick for the Congress. Actually, no one in power should assume that one is indispensable. This was the biggest mistake committed by NDA leaders. The party rode on popularity and victory in Assembly elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh in 2003 and based on a misplaced confidence advanced the Lok Sabha polls in 2004. The India Shining campaign made senior BJP leaders believe that they had all the right indicators to win the polls. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the country’s strongest leader, liked by all sections of the society. The Congress was fighting with back to the walls. Yet when the results came fortunes had changed. The Congress was back in the saddle and the NDA was booted out. Sundar’s book explores how a careful study of the rival’s strength and intelligent field research to find out the weaknesses can work wonders for a political challenger. To an advertising student, this book is a gold mine of knowledge. The way a then small agency in India got the job of managing the media campaign for the Congress despite not having much of political experience shows that quality, vision and capability to transform vision into reality works. People say you give the job and we will work out details. The author proves that a little investment, careful planning and meticulous presentation would force any client to take up the deal. Her narration of the way the agency bid for the campaign and the way it waited endlessly to get the prestigious client is a hair-raising experience. Her observations on the way politicians behave, the way a political party works have been beautifully captured in the book. The book is not a history of Congress’ political campaign but a story of an advertising agency that helped the party achieve a turnaround of its fortunes. The challenges that such an agency faces while planning and executing the campaign itself is very exciting since there are many leaders with myriads of opinion throwing open the need for last minute changes. If an advertisement is to be published in all newspapers of regional languages, it is a mind-boggling task. Every advertisement planned in such a way that the impression stays on the viewers. The genius of Sundar’s writing is just like the campaign she planned — the impression stays in the mind of the reader. If the NDA gave India Shining campaign, the Congress’ theme centred around “Aam aadmi ko kya mila” (What did the common man get?). Needless to say, the corporate world of advertising comes alive in Sundar’s book. Sundar also depicts politicians from the perspective of her world. The author’s description of Sonia Gandhi’s smiling face and the way Mrs Gandhi interacted and took care of the guests present the picture of an affable woman. Many biographical books on Sonia Gandhi have failed to present her in such a positive light as the few paragraphs in this book by Sundar. This book written like a thriller is based on real-life narrative and events. However, I wonder if I would have picked it up had I not been a practitioner of Indian politics. Would I pick a book about 2004 in 2022? The answer would most probably be a ‘No’. The cover looks more like a documentary and official note than something that points to an interesting story. However, the racy narration and the compelling words more than make up for the aforementioned weakness. The book is an interesting read for all politicians, media persons, and those interested to know how media campaigns of a political party or campaigns, in general, unfold. The writer is the convener of the media relations department of the BJP and represents the party as a spokesperson on TV debates. He has authored the book ‘Narendra Modi: The Game Changer’. The views expressed are personal. Don’t Forget 2004: Advertising Secrets of an Impossible Election Victory Jayshree M Sundar Vitasta Publishing, Rs 495 Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.