Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee and a published author, has recalled how her late father viewed the 2014 Lok Sabha election as a defining rupture in Indian electoral history — one in which Narendra Modi became, in his assessment, the country's first Prime Minister to receive a direct popular mandate. The recollection appeared in an article she authored for The Indian Express, titled 'How my father Pranab Mukherjee read 2014 and the PM.'

The Rashtrapati Bhavan Conversation

Sharmistha Mukherjee described a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and her father at Rashtrapati Bhavan shortly after the 2014 election results were declared. During the exchange, Pranab Mukherjee — then the 13th President of India — pressed Modi on his reading of the verdict.

'After the election results were out, Modiji came to meet Baba at Rashtrapati Bhavan. During the course of the conversation, Baba asked him about his analysis of the election. He replied that after three decades, a political party had achieved an absolute majority. Baba, then, in his typical professorial style, asked, "what else?" When Modiji kept quiet, Baba pointed out that 2014 was unique in the history of Lok Sabha elections, as it featured a declared new face as the prime ministerial candidate,' she wrote.

Sharmistha Mukherjee noted that her father and Modi came from 'different political ideologies' but shared 'an excellent rapport that, perhaps, is the hallmark of a true democracy.'

Why 2014 Was a Tectonic Shift

According to Sharmistha Mukherjee, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s 2014 mandate was qualitatively different from previous general elections because the party had publicly declared Modi as its prime ministerial candidate before polling. She argued that the resulting victory amounted to a direct, people-driven choice — akin to a 'presidential election' — rather than a post-poll decision made by MPs or coalition partners.

She contrasted this with the tenures of Modi's predecessors. Dr Manmohan Singh, she wrote, 'was never a mass leader' and was chosen by then Congress President Sonia Gandhi. She also noted that two former Prime Ministers — P.V. Narasimha Rao and H.D. Deve Gowda — were not even Members of Parliament when they assumed office. 'Simply put, it was senior politicians choosing the Prime Minister,' she wrote.

Modi's Entry Into National Politics

Sharmistha Mukherjee also highlighted that 2014 was Modi's first Lok Sabha election, making his entry into Parliament House as Prime Minister 'unprecedented.' She recalled his gesture of doing pranam on the steps of the old Parliament building as 'an understandably emotional gesture that touched the hearts of millions of Indians.'

She added that, prior to 2014, Modi had built his reputation during his long tenure as Chief Minister of Gujarat but was relatively new to national politics.

The BJP's Electoral Machine and 'Brand Modi'

Reflecting on the party's continued success, Sharmistha Mukherjee wrote that no election victory is 'mono-causal.' She credited the BJP's grassroot organisation, community outreach, and willingness to course-correct as factors behind its electoral dominance. She described the party as 'an election-winning juggernaut — and currently, it seems unstoppable.'

She also shared an anecdote from West Bengal's recently concluded Assembly election, recounting that friends who intended to vote for the BJP would say they were voting for 'Modi' — even when reminded it was a state election. Their response, she wrote, was: 'oi ek-i byapar (it's the same thing).'

Sharmistha's Assessment of Modi's Legacy

Sharmistha Mukherjee described Prime Minister Modi as 'not only the longest continuously serving elected Prime Minister of India' but also 'perhaps, one of the strongest leaders the country has seen since Independence.' She attributed part of his appeal to his image as someone who 'rose from the ranks through sheer merit and hard work, without any trappings of dynastic entitlements.'

She concluded on a measured note: 'One may disagree with many of his policies or style of functioning, which is perfectly fine in a democracy, but one cannot simply deny his charisma, or his connection to the Indian electorate as an inspiration for an aspirational India.' The mandate, she wrote, was reaffirmed in 2019 and again in 2024 — and with it comes, in her words, 'greater responsibility.'