The Lok Sabha elections moved in “swings” and “waves”. From Indira Gandhi wave to Janata wave and back to “Indira Lao” and Rajiv Gandhi’s “400 par” .election coverage in those days was not so complex. You talked to a few party leaders and informed persons in the constituency and you could rightly capture the mood. “ Janata has upper hand in” …. Or “Odds even in”…those were the cliché headline. We did not bother about noisy news channels, social media, fake news and deep fakes. There were no paid “influencers”. The campaign participants of the political parties acted as big source of information.

The 18th Lok Sabha election is a game changer. Over 50 per cent of Maharashtra candidates and one—fourth in Punjab are turn coats. A national newspaper found that two dozens of the sixth list of BJP candidates were “lateral candidates”. Clearly, the current elections have obliterated the defection stigma.

Sample the new style, political diatribe from recently headlines--- blunt, below the-the-belt and rude: “Under them, even listening to Hanuman Chilisa will be a crime”:, said PM Modi..PM Modi is “like a poisonous snake”:said Kharge.

Election time is a great leveler: “Yaddyachari Shrestha…”, Bhagwad Geeta says that people follow what great men do. Narendra Modi was the one who made road shows a major campaign tool. They are less expensive and don’t need much preparation. Now all others, including Rahul and Priyanka have made shows an essential part of campaign programme.. Way back in 2015, the BJP introduced an elaborate booth management system. Now most parties follow it.

“Guarantee” is an entirely novel instrument crafted by Modi. It transcends government programmes and manifestos. Sensing its success, Congress and others have borrowed it and launched their own “guarantee cards”, which Election Commission has frowned upon. Kejriwal too has come with his own 10 guarantees.

Four decades ago ,Indira Gandhi’s famed rudraksh and her hushed visits to Anandamayi Ma were the topics of capital’s drawings room gossip. Now religiosity is the hallmark of political discourse. Forget the PM as acting the chief priest at the Ram temple inauguration or Kejriwal launching his poll campaign after a ceremonial darshan at Hanuman mandir, even Rahul and Priyanka had to visit temples under the grab of publicity. These are signs of a great political compromise or sheer competitive politics. This was unthinkable the first four general elections.

Look at the PM’s crusade against dynasty politics even though every regional party has “Shehazads” and “Shahenshas”, and so does the Union Government (think ministers Piyush Goyal and Anurag Thakur). In all BJP allies, past and present, there are “Shahenshahs” and “Shehazdas”. While in jail Kejriwal nominated his wife as party coordinator over established leaders. Over the years, this has become the accepted norm. When the PM derided Rahul Gandhi or Abhishek Banerjee, his allies in the states squirm. Hence, the shehzada jibe is fast losing its barb. (IPA Service)