1 - Introduction: Situating the Backstage of India’s Democracy

Summary

History will remember the 2014 Elections as historic and marking a paradigm shift from conventional electioneering.

—Narendra Modi (2014)

On 29 July 2014, a little past noon, I arrived at 11 Ashoka Road—the then national headquarters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi. It was well over two months since a landmark victory in the 16th Lok Sabha election propelled the Narendra Modi-led BJP to power, yet the euphoria of the victory was still palpable in the air. The 2014 Lok Sabha election was an election of many firsts. Not only was it the first time in 30 years that a single party managed to win a simple plurality of seats in the Indian parliament, but it was also the first time that a Hindu nationalist government was sworn into power without the need of any coalition partners. The fervent weeks of campaigning leading up to the results were remarkable in their own right and earned the distinction of being India's ‘first social media election’ in the popular press.

The premises at 11 Ashoka Road, originally designed as a sprawling estate in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi, functioned as a motley assemblage of offices for party functionaries. Throughout the day, a steady stream of individuals—party workers in search of a ticket, ordinary citizens with grievances and petitions, journalists in search of sound bites—scuttled in and out of the party premises hoping to get an audience with senior politicians. But, in sharp contrast to the hustle and bustle that characterised most of the party headquarters, one part of the estate was marked out by its relative solitude and inconspicuous presence. Safely ensconced behind a large wall that flanked the rightward edge of the party's central courtyard was a block of rooms that were home to the National Digital Operations Centre (NDOC), popularly known as the BJP's IT (Information Technology) Cell.

Not only was the IT Cell physically cut off from the rest of the party offices and discreetly tucked behind a large wall, but the building had been designed to repel casual trespassers like me. Unlike other parts of the BJP office that were open to the public, access to this cell was carefully regulated and limited to only those in possession of a valid ID card that had to be swiped during entry and exit.