The Data Man, India Today

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Published on Sunday, 27 September 2009 14:25

Written by Sudhanshu Mittal

The Data Man, India Today

Sudhanshu Mittal’s biggest asset is that he is a walking talking poll data base. 

Both Coca-Cola and Pramod Mahajan do not reveal their winning formula,” the late BJP leader once said when asked about his electoral strategies. Sudhanshu Mittal, however, was both Mahajan’s worst-kept secret and his winning formula. If Mahajan had the flamboyance, Mittal had the flair.

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Poll notes of a limo liberal

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Published on Saturday, 06 December 2003 14:18

Written by Sudhanshu Mittal

If you laugh at parachute reporters, what would you call a genuinely motley gang of psephologists, investment bankers, editors, columnists and television anchors—even an editor-turned-anchor-turned MP — in three stretch Volvos traversing Rajasthan in the last leg of the election campaign? We obviously had the wisdom of so many pre-election surveys at the back of our minds. All the major ones gave the state to the Congress and, sure enough, the Congressmen we met en route were sure they were right. This state, they said, was already in the bag. Then we found Sudhanshu Mittal, the biggest of Pramod Mahajan’s backroom boys—or the chief of his so-called laptop gang—over an elegant dinner at The Oberoi’s seven-star Raj Vilas.

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The BJP's new-age spin doctor

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Published on Monday, 05 April 2004 14:22

Written by Sudhanshu Mittal

Ministers, as a rule, allow themselves to be untouched by their jobs, because they know how fleeting their assignment can be. A B K Khanduri, for instance, got his job as minister for surface transport, because of his background in building roads for the Indian Army.

Similarly, Arun Jaitley holds the law portfolio because of his known prowess as a lawyer. You could argue that politicians rarely have a vocation independent of politics and, therefore, are not equipped with any professional skills.

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All the spin doctor’s men

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Published on Thursday, 27 November 2003 08:45

Written by Sudhanshu Mittal

For BJP general secretary Pramod Mahajan, the Rajasthan elections are a road to political rehabilitation. In January, the snappily dressed, inky-haired, cellphone-decorated Mahajan left his ministerial portfolio and was sent back to party trenches. He was placed in charge of Rajasthan. Just as Law minister Arun Jaitley has been given responsibility of steering Uma Bharati to victory, it is Mahajan’s task to ensure that Vasundhara Raje defeats Ashok Gehlot. Thus the Rajasthan elections are a test for the Pramod Mahajan brand of political management.

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