Through the looking glass

In summarising India's 2014 General Elections, the media pundits have proclaimed a breathless flurry of firsts. Among the more substantial of the contentions is the unprecedented role of the breathless pronouncers themselves. Struck by the saturation of images of Narendra Modi (India's new Prime Minister elect) during the election campaign, veteran journalists started asking questions very early on about the role played by the media in consolidating around him. As the results have become clearer, the conclusion that this election has marked a watershed in the extent of mediatisation of electoral politics in India is unavoidable. This enlarged role of the media is a momentous development, and certain to continue. It is also one with serious implications for the very nature of politics in India. In particular, for those of us who believe that democratic politics has a role to play in empowering progressive social transformation, there are difficult questions here worth confronting.

The 'Modi wave' accomplished nothing less than the transformation of a person marked by the stain of the worst communal violence in India for the last 25 years into a benign and acceptably authoritarian figure. The images and slogans streamed relentlessly: from the elevation of Gujarat to a utopic island of development, to publicity stunts like Modi's helicopter 'rescue' of Gujarati pilgrims stranded in Uttarakhand; from full front-page advertisements in newspapers, to the systematic propagation of the myth of Modi's 'clean chit' by the Supreme Court; from television interviews (where gently lobbed queries elicited careful and genteel replies) to wall-to-wall coverage of Modi, addressing (through holograms, when not in person) heaving crowds at rallies and roadshows. Over the course of a year, Modi's persona as the firm, efficient, patriotic and misunderstood man that India awaited was co-crafted by PR agencies and primetime anchors. For the first time, the campaign was also carried online. While substantially less important than television, a visible presence on social media – Twitter, Facebook and even mobile phone apps – appears to have become essential for major political players.