The Congress’ Vote Chori Campaign In Bihar: A Catch

Summary of this article

There is a disconnect between how the Congress Party perceives democracy and how voters in Bihar interpret it

Drawing lessons from the Bihar election verdict, the Congress needs to reshape its future political campaigns

The Congress needs to build an organised, dedicated cadre to communicate its message to voters

Elections are the cornerstone of democratic regimes, ensuring that the people’s will is represented. In contemporary democracies, even leaders with autocratic and authoritarian tendencies often rise to power by winning elections. Populist leaders have learnt to perform this “minimalist” Schumpeterian script of contesting elections in a democracy. One reason for this change in strategy, as Karl Popper explains, is that this minimalist system of elections