A RARE VIEW OF INDIA’S EVOLVING POLITICAL TERRAIN OFFERED BY ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED JOURNALISTS, ASHUTOSH. In 2024, India cast perhaps its most important vote to date. There was a palpable fear that a clear majority for the Bharatiya Janata Party would pave the way for further constitutional amendments, fundamentally changing the republic’s original contract with its citizens. The atmosphere was charged—Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently led the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, he and his star campaigners were campaigning hard on an unapologetically communal plank and chants of ‘Abki baar, 400 paar’ echoed confidently across the nation. Or so it seemed. Did the electoral outcome truly defy all expectations? Why did Ayodhya’s grand temple not translate into a decisive victory for BJP and Modi—not even in the temple town’s constituency? Was the result really as shocking as it appeared? Or were there signs all along, waiting to be discerned amidst the noise? In this astute and expertly narrated account, Ashutosh leverages his experience as journalist to offer a rare view of India’s evolving political terrain. Reclaiming Bharat meticulously dissects the 2024 elections, unravelling the subtle signals and underlying factors that impeded BJP’s quest for a clear victory. By piecing together the political, social and economic currents at play, it presents a compelling narrative of a nation at a crossroads—and perhaps a way to understand what lies ahead.