Political books a hit with first-time voters at Delhi book fair

At the New Delhi World Book Fair, books on Indian politics and politicians seem to have found many takers. One might think that political books are only for serious readers, but at the book fair, youngsters and first-time voters are the ones picking up these books. The sellers say that since it is election year, books on politicians are more in demand.
‘First-time voter discount hai?’
The sellers at the book fair say that youngsters usually pick romance novels or motivational books, but this year, they are also buying books on politics. In fact, the sale of motivational books has gone down this year, while the sale of political books has gone up. Introductory books on leaders for newbie readers of political books are in much demand. Some of these readers are also hoping for a ‘first-time voter’ discount at the fair. Madhumita Das, 18, said, “During elections, many restaurants and malls offer discounts to first-time voters, so we are expecting the same here. My cousins got a lot of freebies during the 2014 elections, so I thought why not try my luck here. I asked the seller, pehli baar vote dalne walon ka koi special discount hai toh de do, and he reduced 10%.”

Many first-time voters are taking interest in political biographies at the New Delhi World Book Fair

Tanveer, a seller at the book fair, said, “Sale of political books have gone up this year due to the upcoming elections. We don’t have a formal first-time voter discount, but if we get a young customer who wants to read political books because he/she will be voting for the first time, and asks for a discount, we give the discount to encourage them.”
Anil Khurana, a 19-year-old, says, “Political biographies are a hit at the fair. I have bought three books on politicians and my friend bought five. If you are getting an extra discount because you’ll be a first-time voter this year, then why miss the opportunity?”

The upcoming elections have increased interest in political books, especially among first-time voters

Parents not too happy with kids reading political biographies?
SK Saxena, a seller, said, “Most youngsters come with their parents, and books are the one thing parents happily splurge on. But sometimes, when they want to read a particular leader’s biography, it bothers the parents, and they ask, ‘Kyun, tumhe usske jaisa banna hai?’ Another seller, Harmeet Singh, said, “At the fair, the most interesting conversations are those between parents and kids who pick a political book. I have seen angry parents asking their kids to pick a book on the system and governance rather than on a particular leader. They ask, “Kyun, yeh book padh kar neta banoge?”


Film announcements and releases increase interest
At the fair, books written by and on Narendra Modi are popular, say sellers, and the recent biopic announcement has increased the craze. One seller says, “Brand Modi sells. We have had many people asking about the book on which his recently-announced biopic is based. We say koi bhi le jao, usi pe bani hai – and it works.” The biopic on former PM Manmohan Singh has also piqued interest in the book it is based on. Many were even seen comparing lines from the book with dialogues from the film’s trailer. Shakti Prasad, an architect, said, “Films take creative liberties, and I wanted to read the book that made for such a film. I was comparing the book’s content with the film’s dialogues.”