Electoral Echoes: Manifesto Messaging in India’s Dynamic Democracy

Party manifestos have gained significant attention in political research, but not as a communication tool. This research looks at how Indian political parties use election manifestos to communicate strategically, focusing on the distinctions between different parties based on various factors. It further discusses manifesto messaging across variables, including self-past performance, opponents’ records, personalization, nature of pledges, and tone, by analyzing the manifestos of 12 parties for the Indian general elections of 2024. It reveals that parties make strategic use of their election manifestos to create narratives around their electoral campaigns. Emerging differences show how each party’s manifesto reflects its position on various issues, shaping how it presents itself as opposed to its opponents. This study reiterates the sanctity of manifestos in political communication and provides directions for future research on the electoral echoes that these political documents make in India’s dynamic democracy.