New Delhi: The world's first democratically elected communist government was formed in Kerala in 1957, and BR Ambedkar lost all the elections he contested in are the kind of interesting facts and trivia about Indian elections that make up 'Chambers Book of Indian Election Facts', the first book of the Chambers Facts series in India.
Written by academic Kingshuk Chatterjee and journalist Surbek Biswas, the book covers Indian elections right from the beginnings in the second half of the 19th century to present-day India with over 1,000 of such 'essential facts'.
"The book was meant to be a repository of most important facts pertaining to electoral politics in India as it has been practised in the last hundred odd years. In the process, it has become somewhat like a handbook of Indian politics at the union and state levels, without being compromised by any polemics and ideological baggage of any sort -- unlike any other book on Indian politics," Chatterjee told PTI.
The book offers a comprehensive coverage of all Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha (Assembly) elections and is a one-of-a-kind quick reference to Indian electoral history 'with all essential information as well as intriguing beyond-the-ballot events is sure to both educate and entertain'.
"I would describe the content as facts plus plus plus. We used reliable data sources, were sincere in following records and analysed all information without bias. In the process, we stumbled upon fascinating facts like the JANATA, the concept of an anti-Congress force that was born in 1973 in Patna, was an idea mooted by JP (Narayan) but much before the JP movement," Biswas said.
The book, published by Hachette India, is available on online and offline stores.
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