An Analysis of political Branding from the Indian Democratic Perrspective

Abstract

The present research work explores and affirms the relationship between the phenomenon of political branding and political participation in modern politics. The research has been done keeping in the context of the last general election which saw the unprecedented victory of BJP-led NDA under the leadership of Mr Narendra Modi who went on to become the fifteenth Prime Minister of the country. It was the largest election-related exercise in the globe and saw many firsts to it. The results were unparalleled and interested many experts to come up with explanations for the same. The study compares and contrasts the cases of the two main political rivals, namely Mr Narendra Modi and Mr Rahul Gandhi, of the two big coalitions, namely National Democratic Alliance and United Progressive Alliance respectively for their pull as political brands and the subsequent impact on participation of their followers in political activities. The study presents the case for a consumer-oriented approach towards political events like elections in the Indian context as against the civic-oriented approach which has been followed traditionally across the various democracies. The concept of political branding has been explored during the course of the research work with the help of extant literature, discussion with professionals and understanding of the researcher thereby highlighting the role played by it in the formation of public opinion towards political parties and leaders as well as participatory tendencies of the voters in elections. A 42-question questionnaire was developed, with the help of content and expert validity, which asked the respondents about their familiarity with the symbol and slogan of the two chief contesting parties and leaders and related aspects along with other aspects like demographic, psychological, political affiliations, leadership choices as well as their participatory tendencies in various election-related activities.