Skip to main content

How we vote - The factors that influence voters by Surjit Bhalla and Abhinav Motheram

 
Title: How We Vote
Authors: Surjit S. Bhalla and Abhinav Motheram

"Times may have changed, but the substantive basis on which people vote - their perception of leadership and the improvement in their well-being - remains constant."
Economics has been a favourite subject for me in school. Although I had no aptitude for statistics or numbers, the teachers were good. They compelled curiosity in me for the subject.

In How We Vote, Surjit S. Bhalla and Abhinav Motheram present an exploration of the evolving dynamics of voting behavior in India. As the nation approaches its eighteenth general election, the authors delve into the intersection of politics, economics, and psephology, offering readers an understanding of what truly influences voter decisions.
The book examines historical voting patterns, correlating them with significant changes in income, employment, welfare schemes, and gender equality. It highlights how despite the rapid technological advancements and the pervasive influence of social media, the core factors driving voter behavior—perception of leadership and well-being—remain steadfast. Bhalla and Motheram's deep dive into data not only provides fresh insights but also presents some counter-intuitive conclusions that challenge conventional wisdom.
The authors' experience and expertise shine through in their analysis. Bhalla, with his background in economic advisory roles and global financial institutions, and Motheram, with his proficiency in data science and survey methods, complement each other perfectly. Their combined perspectives make How We Vote a read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of Indian elections.
As India stands on the brink of another electoral milestone, this book is a valuable resource for gaining a deeper comprehension of the factors that will shape voter choices in 2024 and beyond.

Those empathetic towards tragic sexual assaults like the Bilkis Bano case,Shahjahanpur case, Hathras case would relate to this text. Especially the political reactions like in the Kathua case.

Pages - 245
Price - Rs 599
Genre - Non-fiction 

Comments

Also read

Why do we crave bookshops when life falls apart? A deep reading of Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

This article reflects on Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum, a gentle novel about burnout, healing, and second chances. Through Yeong-ju and her quiet community, the book reminds you that meaning often returns slowly, through books, people, and ordinary days that begin to feel like home again. Why do so many of us secretly dream of walking away from everything? At some point, usually on a crowded weekday morning or during yet another meeting that could have been an email, you wonder if this is all there is. You did what you were told. You studied, worked hard, built a career, stayed responsible. And yet, instead of contentment, there is exhaustion. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop begins exactly at this uncomfortable truth. Hwang Bo-reum’s novel does not shout its intentions. It does not promise transformation through grand revelations. Instead, it sits beside you quietly and asks a gentler question. What if the problem is not that you failed, but that you nev...

Spill the Tea: Noor and the Silence After Doing Everything right

Noor has done everything she was supposed to do — moved out, built a life, stayed independent. Yet beneath the neat routines and functional success lies a quiet emptiness she cannot name. Part of the Spill the Tea series, this story explores high-functioning loneliness, emotional flatness, and the unsettling fear of living a life that looks complete from the outside. The verandah was brighter than Noor expected. Morning light lay flat across the tiles, showing every faint scuff mark, every water stain from old monsoons. The air smelled of detergent from a neighbour’s washed curtains flapping overhead. On the table, the paneer patties waited in a cardboard bakery box I’d emptied onto a plate. A squeeze bottle of ketchup stood beside it, slightly sticky around the cap. Two cups of tea, steam already thinning. In one corner, a bamboo palm stood in a large terracotta planter. Thin stems. Too many leaves. Trying very hard to look like it belonged indoors. Noor sat down and pulled the chair ...

What if You Could undo every regret? An uncomfortable conversation with The Midnight Library

Have you ever replayed your life at night, wondering how things might have turned out differently? The Midnight Library by Matt Haig asks you to sit with that question. Through Nora Seed’s quiet despair and imagined alternatives, the novel explores regret, possibility, depression, and the fragile hope that living at all might be enough. Have you ever wondered if one different choice could have changed everything? You probably have. Most people do. Usually at night. Usually when the world goes quiet and your mind decides to reopen old files you never asked it to keep. The job you did not take. The person you loved too late or too briefly. The version of yourself that felt possible once. You tell yourself that if you had chosen differently, life would feel fuller, cleaner, less heavy. The Midnight Library begins exactly there, in that familiar ache. Not with drama, but with exhaustion. Not with chaos, but with a woman who feels she has quietly failed at everything that mattered. Mat...