Sonia Versus Vajpayee : Fourteenth Lok Sabha Elections--2004

Contents: Preface. I. Sonia Gandhi : 1. Sonia Gandhi : an introduction. 2. Congress: successes. 3. Congress: achievements. II. Atal Bihari Vajpayee: 4. Atal Bihari Vajpayee: an introduction. 5. Achievements of NDA Government. 6. Failures of NDA Government. 7. NDA failure in states. III. Strategies and agendas: 8. Economic growth : the congress agenda. 9. National democratic alliance: strategies and agendas. IV. Election results and conclusion: fourteenth Lok Sabha--2004: 10. Election results. 11. Winning team. 12. Sonia Gandhi and the common minimum programme. Index.

"The verdict 2004 surprised everybody. NDA was very much hopeful of forming the government comfortably under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, if not to cross the 300 mark. By any stretch of imagination the congress was not sure that it will be able to improve its previous tally. Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh were very much sure of becoming the king-makers. Left too was not sure that it will improve its position so strongly in the elections. The media, the opinion polls, exit polls, etc. all were hopeful that Atal Bihari Vajpayee will again head the government, but the verdict bewildered everyone.

That gloriously unpredictable entity--the Indian electorate has executed a perfect somersault. Indeed it was executed a perfect somersault. Indeed it was the BJP's relentless feel good hype and its Anti-Sonia videshi invective that ultimately pushed the other unshining India towards the congress party. In fact Sonia emerged as the shining leader offering herself and her children as champions of the marginalised and oppressed.

Rising from political wilderness, the Sonia led Congress showed that it had the grit and gumption to be the engine of change." (jacket)