Ballot

543 Lok Sabha seats. More than 4,000 stateconstituencies. Over 800 million voters. The world's largest democracy . . .From the time of its inception, democracy in India has been dubbed 'miraculous' by the world's media, and its elections as a spectacular exercise in human management.In Ballot, Rasheed Kidwai takes us through his pick of seminal elections that have shaped Indian democracy both at the centre and in select states. Highlighting the unique challenges faced by a country that adopted universal adult franchise at the very outset, profiling personalities who have triggered ground-shifts, and analysing the causes and consequences of keyelectoral episodes, he traces the very evolutionof India's democratic process.Combining insightful commentary and colourfulanecdotes, Ballot provides a brief, incisive examination of India's most momentous elections.