Unreal Elections by C.S. Krishna and Karthik Laxman, Hachette India, Paperback,  Published: 2014, 240 pages, ISBN 9789350098356, INR 350

by Shivani Patel

Unreal Elections by C.S. Krishna and Karthik Laxman (2014) is a sharp political satire that humorously portrays the frenzy of India’s 2014 Lok Sabha elections through a fictional narrative. Inspired by the authors’ work at TheUnrealTimes.com, a pioneering Indian satire platform, the book reimagines political figures such as Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi, and Arvind Kejriwal as exaggerated caricatures. These representations capture the meme-driven humor and viral trends that were integral to the political conversation during that election. ( pp. 15-60)

The comedic style found in the book is akin to that of internet memes, utilising brief, exaggerated, and easily identifiable formats that condense complex events into humourous punchlines. The fictional scenarios involving political figures reflect meme aesthetics by placing them in ridiculous, dramatised contexts, such as  Modi engaging in debates with opponents in a Bigg Boss–style reality show or Rahul Gandhi awkwardly navigating through scripted interviews (pp. 100-120). These scenes not only entertain but also function like memes by offering satirical commentary that spreads quickly and resonates with digital audiences.

The book, Unreal Elections, highlights its impact on political satire, its predictive role in meme-fueled discussions, and its significance for researchers studying digital humor and cultural politics. The book provides insightful commentary on how satire and memes shape political narratives, capturing the essence of a key electoral period (Baishya, 2021, p. 26; Krishna & Laxman, 2014, pp. 15-120).

Unreal Elections consists of nine sections. Every section offers a satirical perspective on the general elections in India that took place in 2014.  by emulating the format of earlier social media platforms such as Twitter (now X).

The story opens with a parody of Narendra Modi’s BJP campaign. His rallies are depicted as grand events in the style of Bollywood. These include “Modi Wave” montages that resemble viral social media content ( pp. 15-30). Rahul Gandhi’s Congress is depicted as a sequence of mistakes. His persona is inflated into the caricature of “Pappu.” Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP is ridiculed for its moralistic stance, with Kejriwal consistently donning his iconic shawl  ( pp. 45-60).

Later chapters highlight media sensationalism. News anchors are depicted as dramatic entertainers. The book features comedic observations about the voters in India. It employs cultural clichés and clever quips to portray both urban elites and rural inhabitants.

The book avoids sensitive topics like communal violence, and highlights humour based on personality. The authors maintain a comedic detachment, not directly criticising political figures. The book reflects the “seismic shift” in 2014, with fictional exaggerations and references from Bollywood. The “seismic shift” refers to the major political change in 2014. The BJP came to power, replacing the Congress-led UPA government after ten years. This change is reflected through fictional exaggeration. The humour resembles meme culture, which gained popularity on WhatsApp and Twitter during the election. Unreal Elections is an essential cultural piece from India’s early meme period (Baishya, 2021).

From an Indian perspective, Unreal Elections captures a moment when digital political discourse was rapidly evolving. In 2014, India had over 243 million internet users, with nearly 60% engaging in social media. This digital growth laid the foundation for meme culture to thrive (Baishya, 2021). The book’s humour mirrors this shift. It presents short, punchy, and exaggerated fictional episodes, just like internet memes, that simplify complex realities for quick consumption and widespread connections.

For example, Modi is portrayed as a Bollywood-style action hero whose campaign rallies resemble sets from a film ( pp. 15-30). Rahul Gandhi’s “Pappu” persona is dramatized in a scene where he forgets his own manifesto during an interview, echoing the real memes mocking his leadership ( pp. 50-55). The ways in which political leaders are presented in light-hearted, comical manner reflect how the book uses meme-like humour: it simplifies political personalities into humorous, exaggerated formats that could easily go viral.

The satire emerging from TheUnrealTimes.com also aligns with Soriano’s (2022) idea of the “politigram”. It is a form of digital political humour that makes critique accessible to a wider audience. The book anticipates this by placing politicians in absurd fictional settings, like a Bigg Boss–style debate led by a loud news anchor (pp. 100-120).

One of the book’s notable aspects is its portrayal of political spectacle. Modi’s campaign is represented as a carefully curated performance, reflecting the BJP’s visual identity and its strategic use of digital media (pp. 20-25; The Print, 2019). Arvind Kejriwal’s shawl becomes a famous symbol. It parodies his moral image and anti-corruption stance, echoing popular memes that alternately mocked and admired him (Baishya, 2021, p. 30)

The humour presented in the book also displays what Critchley (2002) calls an “inverted world”, where the usual structures of power are flipped upside down. Viewed through this perspective, the 2014 elections focus not on policy discussions or governance but on drama, spectacle, and personality. Modi is portrayed as a superhero, Kejriwal as a moral vigilante, and Rahul Gandhi as a confused heir. This inversion allows readers to laugh at the irrationalities of power while indirectly questioning them (Critchley, 2002, p. 11).

The book maintains a tone of comedic detachment, meaning it refrains from asserting a strong moral or political viewpoint. It entertains without endorsing or condemning any political figure. This sense of detachment enables the satire to stay light and accessible, though it also limits deeper critique.

While the book effectively employs satire against political figures, it does have shortcomings. It lays heavy emphasis on the political leaders while neglecting the electorate. Given a title like Unreal Elections, readers might anticipate more insight into electoral systems, voting practices, or voter behavior. Instead, voters are mostly portrayed as background figures or as instruments for humour. This narrow representation of voters can be viewed as a deficiency in an otherwise impactful satire.

Additionally, the satire often fails to address deeper social and political issues, such as caste politics, gender biases, or economic disparities. It prioritises entertainment over investigation, avoiding topics like communalism and fake news, which became central issues by 2019 (The Wire, 2019, p. 11).  Further, the authors fail to explore the darker aspects of meme culture, such as political memes’ potential to fuel misinformation and hatred, which would have enhanced the book’s digital satire tone.

The book’s reliance on familiar stereotypes, like elite Delhi students or simple rural farmers, risks reinforcing clichés. This critique has also been made about other satires in India (The Hindu BusinessLine, 2018). 

In spite of these gaps, the book remains highly relevant, as Unreal Elections aligns with Baishya’s (2021) concept of “memetic visuality”, where humour simplifies issues like corruption and governance through satirical imagery (Baishya, 2021, p. 28). Its brief sketches can be seen as proto-memes (early form of memes), anticipating the viral jokes and commentary that now dominate Indian political discourse. Compared to India Misinformed (Sinha, Shaikh, & Sidharth, 2019), which focuses on a fact-checking approach, Unreal Elections leans into comedy, offering insight through fiction and exaggeration. 

It is a useful resource for scholars in media studies, political science, and cultural studies. It especially resonates with young Indians, 65% of whom engage with political content online (Rastogi, Tyagi, & Mehra, 2019). Its foresight in capturing digital satire and meme culture, long before political memes became organized tools of propaganda, makes it a valuable document of India’s digital political turn (The Print, 2019).

Unreal Elections offers a sharp and humourous look at India’s 2014 general elections. It uses fictional incidents like a Bigg Boss–style political debate or Rahul Gandhi bungling an interview to highlight the absurdity of political spectacle. These exaggerated scenes resemble internet memes. They make the satire funny, relatable, and easy to share.

The book stands out because it blends fictional storytelling with digital meme culture. While humour has always been used to criticize politics in India, this book is among the first to do so through a meme-like digital format. That makes it revolutionary not because satire is new, but because it captures the emerging shift in how political humour is created and consumed online.

The book uses humour to critique power, authority, and political behavior, urging readers to rethink seriousness. Focusing on urban politics, it’s accessible and relevant to a generation raised on memes and digital media, making it a valuable read for today’s generation. I recommend Unreal Elections to scholars, students, and internet users interested in political satire, digital culture, and Indian democracy. It is especially useful for those exploring how humour reflects and shapes political conversation in the Global South.

References

Baishya, A. K. (2021). The conquest of the world as meme: Memetic visuality and political humor in critiques of the Hindu right wing in India. Media, Culture & Society, 43(1), 24-40. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443720948011

Halversen, A., & Weeks, B. (2023). Memeing politics: Understanding political meme creators, audiences, and consequences on social media. Social Media + Society, 1-15. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393231157485

Rastogi, S., Tyagi, A., & Mehra, M. (2019). Shubham Rastogi. Political memes and perceptions: A study of memes as a political communication tool in the Indian context. ResearchGate. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/33567890_Political_memes_and_perceptions

Sinha, P., Shaikh, S., & Sidharth, A. (2019). India Misinformed: The True Story. HarperCollins India.

Soriano, C. R. (2022). Politigram and the post-postmodern: Political satire and memetic antagonism in the age of social media. Social Media + Society, 8(3), 1-13.

The Hindu BusinessLine. (2018). The rise of political satire in India’s digital age. Retrieved from https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/variety/the-rise-of-political-satire-in-indias-digital-age/article24695136.ece

The Print. (2019). BJP’s social media strategy: Memes and the 2019 elections. Retrieved from https://theprint.in/politics/bjps-social-media-strategy-memes-and-the-2019-elections/223456/The Wire. (2019). How WhatsApp forwards fuel misinformation in India. Retrieved from The Wire: https://thewire.in/media/whatsapp-misinformation-india

---

Shivani Patel is a Research Scholar of Journalism and Mass Communication.