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How India Votes And What It Means
Does polarization help win elections? How have smartphones changed Indian politics? Did the balakot strike make the difference in 2019? Why are women a distinct voting Bloc in some states but not in others? Why does GDP growth have almost no impact on election outcomes? Since 2014, Pradeep Gupta and axis My India have established themselves as India’s most accurate and trusted election forecasts between 2013 and 2020, The axis My India forecast was the most accurate in 95 per cent of state and General elections. Now Gupta takes us on a journey through the art and science of elections in the world’s largest democracy. Based on years of field interviews and analysis, he gives us a master Class – provocative, entertaining and enlightening – in how and why Indians choose their leaders.
192 pages, Hardcover
Published April 21, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 23, 2021
HOW INDIA VOTES: And what it means
Author: Pradeep Gupta
Published by: @juggernaut.in
Pages: 169
Target Audience: Every person who would like to know how the country votes, irrespective of your political opinion.
Mr Pradeer Gupta, to those who are unaware, is the founder of Axis My India and is called India's No 1 Pollster by many.
The author breakdown how and why an Indian votes for whom they do. In the beginning, it may seem like the author is being biased towards the ruling party, but that is just because he is breaking down the thought process of the votes. He explains why BJP is in power while also explaining why AAP and BJD are in their respective states. The author has been correct about 44 of the 47 polls that Axis My India has tracked, he explains what went wrong in the three polls.
Some (of many)KEY Takeaways from the book. Read the book to find out the entire context.
- The Poor vote more than the rich. Because the elections impact them more directly , the poor care about the elections much more than the rich.
- Delivery Matters ! The Key Reason why Modi, Kejriwal and Patnaik keep getting elected is that they deliver on their promises.
- Women are a very important sector of the vote bank! Both Modi and Kejriwal have been doing all they can to appease women.
- Women from the south vote with their own opinion unlike most of India where the men decide the voting preference for the entire family (AGAIN , CONTEXT is very important to understand this statement fully , read the book to find out more)
- The ordinary people do not care about CAA/NRC protests and rebuilding the temple. All they care about is that the government is taking care of them
What I felt was missing from the book and I would have liked to read about is the Farmers protests and what kind of an impact it would have on voting patterns.
Overall , a very fascinating read . Reccomended.
Available on Amazon in Hardcover and Kindle formats. DM for link.
Thank you Juggernaut Books for a media copy.
Author: Pradeep Gupta
Published by: @juggernaut.in
Pages: 169
Target Audience: Every person who would like to know how the country votes, irrespective of your political opinion.
Mr Pradeer Gupta, to those who are unaware, is the founder of Axis My India and is called India's No 1 Pollster by many.
The author breakdown how and why an Indian votes for whom they do. In the beginning, it may seem like the author is being biased towards the ruling party, but that is just because he is breaking down the thought process of the votes. He explains why BJP is in power while also explaining why AAP and BJD are in their respective states. The author has been correct about 44 of the 47 polls that Axis My India has tracked, he explains what went wrong in the three polls.
Some (of many)KEY Takeaways from the book. Read the book to find out the entire context.
- The Poor vote more than the rich. Because the elections impact them more directly , the poor care about the elections much more than the rich.
- Delivery Matters ! The Key Reason why Modi, Kejriwal and Patnaik keep getting elected is that they deliver on their promises.
- Women are a very important sector of the vote bank! Both Modi and Kejriwal have been doing all they can to appease women.
- Women from the south vote with their own opinion unlike most of India where the men decide the voting preference for the entire family (AGAIN , CONTEXT is very important to understand this statement fully , read the book to find out more)
- The ordinary people do not care about CAA/NRC protests and rebuilding the temple. All they care about is that the government is taking care of them
What I felt was missing from the book and I would have liked to read about is the Farmers protests and what kind of an impact it would have on voting patterns.
Overall , a very fascinating read . Reccomended.
Available on Amazon in Hardcover and Kindle formats. DM for link.
Thank you Juggernaut Books for a media copy.
February 8, 2024
This book is as useless as the whole concept of Exit Poll.
August 1, 2023
Elections are a special season in India. Even if you are the least political person, news of elections somehow finds a way to you. I pickled up this book because I wanted to hear about the views of a successful poll researcher from India, on the trends in Indian elections.
The author explores different spheres of influence in the elections from technology and service delivery to dynasty politics and polarization. He also touches upon criminalisation, rise of women voter class, urban-rural divide and the impact of state of economy in election results. His views are a refreshing treat for any privileged urban educated individual, including me. His views on the rising women voter base is quite understandable seeing the various schemes targeting them. I particularly related with the urban-rural disparity in voting as I see it around me all the time.
I would have liked the use of more statistics to back his claims but the trust from the author's accurate predictions (94%+) will have to do for now. I also find his over-optimism regarding the decline of criminalisation and dynasty in politics overly eager, considering 43% of parliamentarians in 2019 General Elections had criminal cases pending against them.
His work is a pleasure to read. I would suggest it to anyone interested in Indian elections and what makes them tick.
The author explores different spheres of influence in the elections from technology and service delivery to dynasty politics and polarization. He also touches upon criminalisation, rise of women voter class, urban-rural divide and the impact of state of economy in election results. His views are a refreshing treat for any privileged urban educated individual, including me. His views on the rising women voter base is quite understandable seeing the various schemes targeting them. I particularly related with the urban-rural disparity in voting as I see it around me all the time.
I would have liked the use of more statistics to back his claims but the trust from the author's accurate predictions (94%+) will have to do for now. I also find his over-optimism regarding the decline of criminalisation and dynasty in politics overly eager, considering 43% of parliamentarians in 2019 General Elections had criminal cases pending against them.
His work is a pleasure to read. I would suggest it to anyone interested in Indian elections and what makes them tick.
September 24, 2021
A short and easy one-sitting read that you can pick up on a flight or a train journey and get over with. Gives you valuable insights into how India's complicated elections work and what affects (or doesn't) them.
I recommend getting the ebook format instead of the hardcover version though.
I recommend getting the ebook format instead of the hardcover version though.
May 5, 2021
Ace pollster Pradeep Gupta distils 7 years of gyan on election analysis into a short tome. The best parts of the book with original insight are wherein he explains as to how his team wrongly predicted a DMK win in the 2016 polls because of lesser women participation in the exit polls. Despite the author's ability to derive such conclusions, the book peters out with it's bias towards Narendra Modi. The author mentions that "Human Psychology +Sociology is Psephology" but the book reveals more of the author's personal psychology than sociology.
December 23, 2021
It is a quick read. Mostly suspected and hoped for observations about the Indian voting populace. Indians vote for governance, against dynasts, the bechara candidate, based on personal gain, impervious to communal instigation and GDP figures. Which is all good but then why is it still so badly governed is the lakh rupee question.
September 29, 2021
How India votes and what it means
Book review
For those who don't know Pradeep Gupta and his team at @axismyindia is a poll maverick and an expert at predicting poll results. India is the largest democracy in the world and it's a herculean task to conduct an exit poll here and predict poll results so much so that the author equates the work of a surveyor to that of a millitary posting. They have 93 % accuracy which is quite enviable. What's even better is that they know what has caused them to go wrong in the remaining cases.
The author has not shied away from taking names which makes it a very interesting read. At 169 pages , it's a crisp edited book and doesn't drag at all.
The book takes you from the 90s , how the elections were conducted then to the current scenario , and how the role of 24*7 news channels and social media has tremendously increased , making it easier to flout election guidelines sometimes , while on the other hand also causing small mistakes to be blown out of proportion and also be out in the open for public scrutiny.
Some gyan from the book
🗳️ Indian poor vote more than the rich
🗳️ Dynasty is dead and criminality Is heading the same way
🗳️Delivery matter a lot. A reason why those politicos who fulfilled their promises are elected.
🗳️Woman in South India vote independently irrespective of their family decision as to who should be elected.
The book has definitely made be ponder that every election matters and we have no right to complain if we don't cast our precious vote every single time.
Publisher @juggernaut.in
Price- Rs 499 for Hard Bound book
Book review
For those who don't know Pradeep Gupta and his team at @axismyindia is a poll maverick and an expert at predicting poll results. India is the largest democracy in the world and it's a herculean task to conduct an exit poll here and predict poll results so much so that the author equates the work of a surveyor to that of a millitary posting. They have 93 % accuracy which is quite enviable. What's even better is that they know what has caused them to go wrong in the remaining cases.
The author has not shied away from taking names which makes it a very interesting read. At 169 pages , it's a crisp edited book and doesn't drag at all.
The book takes you from the 90s , how the elections were conducted then to the current scenario , and how the role of 24*7 news channels and social media has tremendously increased , making it easier to flout election guidelines sometimes , while on the other hand also causing small mistakes to be blown out of proportion and also be out in the open for public scrutiny.
Some gyan from the book
🗳️ Indian poor vote more than the rich
🗳️ Dynasty is dead and criminality Is heading the same way
🗳️Delivery matter a lot. A reason why those politicos who fulfilled their promises are elected.
🗳️Woman in South India vote independently irrespective of their family decision as to who should be elected.
The book has definitely made be ponder that every election matters and we have no right to complain if we don't cast our precious vote every single time.
Publisher @juggernaut.in
Price- Rs 499 for Hard Bound book
March 5, 2022
An absolutely spectacular book. Data driven and grass root level analysis. This book was well placed for selling at the Mumbai airport as my entire week was going to be spent in traveling in interior parts of the country.
The book is a fast track and verified view into the Indian voting system and what affects the voters the most.
I was amazed to know that not many are aware of this book or the level of insights it holds. Maybe it’s because people don’t want to face the truth that is proven and backed by data in this book.
The book provides insights on everything that affects the voting pattern of the country and everything that doesn’t.
The various factors from geographical to economical and from education to literacy that the writer and his team has discovered through grass root level research is some high level hardwork. The level to which their teams have gone to get the data is at times appalling as well as praising.
That author has written the book in the simplest way possible to help readers understand the psyche of the voters, what they expect from the government, how governments change, political clashes and strategies and what made them a success and/or a failure.
The book promises to break many myths that an average Indian might be under the impression of. It shows the patterns and how they were visible long before the actual results against the predictions made by the author and his team.
This book is a must read for any person who wants to understand the Indian Voting Culture without bias which is backed by Data. Tenured readers aware about the Indian political scenarios will definitely resonate with this book and what the author has to offer.
The book is a fast track and verified view into the Indian voting system and what affects the voters the most.
I was amazed to know that not many are aware of this book or the level of insights it holds. Maybe it’s because people don’t want to face the truth that is proven and backed by data in this book.
The book provides insights on everything that affects the voting pattern of the country and everything that doesn’t.
The various factors from geographical to economical and from education to literacy that the writer and his team has discovered through grass root level research is some high level hardwork. The level to which their teams have gone to get the data is at times appalling as well as praising.
That author has written the book in the simplest way possible to help readers understand the psyche of the voters, what they expect from the government, how governments change, political clashes and strategies and what made them a success and/or a failure.
The book promises to break many myths that an average Indian might be under the impression of. It shows the patterns and how they were visible long before the actual results against the predictions made by the author and his team.
This book is a must read for any person who wants to understand the Indian Voting Culture without bias which is backed by Data. Tenured readers aware about the Indian political scenarios will definitely resonate with this book and what the author has to offer.
November 17, 2022
Bible for Politicians - who has to win elections,
Citizens - to know trends of how Indian Diaspora votes,
Students - Political science students, PhD Students to support their research
Pradeep Gupta has got 53 of 57 elections bang on with an accuracy of more than 95%
Super fact based research of over 12 years shared
How India Votes And What It Means
Citizens - to know trends of how Indian Diaspora votes,
Students - Political science students, PhD Students to support their research
Pradeep Gupta has got 53 of 57 elections bang on with an accuracy of more than 95%
Super fact based research of over 12 years shared
How India Votes And What It Means
March 27, 2022
More like. 3.5
A short, crisp book on how the Indian masses vote based on the author's extensive experience of psephology. This is a good book for a layperson who wishes to understand how and why India votes. I liked the bits where he directly quotes experiences and observations from his fieldwork.
A short, crisp book on how the Indian masses vote based on the author's extensive experience of psephology. This is a good book for a layperson who wishes to understand how and why India votes. I liked the bits where he directly quotes experiences and observations from his fieldwork.
July 27, 2026
As a Qualitative Researcher myself, it was great to read about how this research methodology is being applied successfully at scale here in India.
But I would have loved to know more about the nuts and bolts of the research process - how he samples, sources and syntheses so much data within such a tight time frame, these details were conspicuously absent.
But I would have loved to know more about the nuts and bolts of the research process - how he samples, sources and syntheses so much data within such a tight time frame, these details were conspicuously absent.
August 15, 2022
A very amateurish book. Expected more insights into how india - the largest democracy votes.
Not saying it lacks insights, but a book written by one of most successful psephologist in the county will have a treasure trove to talk about
Not saying it lacks insights, but a book written by one of most successful psephologist in the county will have a treasure trove to talk about
December 15, 2023
This books a keen insight to the Indian voters mind.
It lays a strong foundation for anyone who’s interested in Indian Politics or just wants to know how it happens, the voting in largest democracy of world.
A must read for all the politicians.
It lays a strong foundation for anyone who’s interested in Indian Politics or just wants to know how it happens, the voting in largest democracy of world.
A must read for all the politicians.
March 7, 2023
An interesting reading matter for anyone wanting to peek into the workings of a large nation as our own.
July 28, 2022
Disappointed
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews