Many a time in these elections, we have heard anchors and politicians intone that "the narrative has changed." Coverage in this Lok Sabha election, more than ever, focused on a central oppositional storyline, loaded with moral significance, just like the last season of Game of Thrones. It denied us the mythic polyphony of small stories featuring the seemingly eccentric no-hoper independent candidates, who gleefully take the promise of democracy at face value.

In 2014, on the other hand, I remember being sent off to Chennai, for a story on the Indian Lovers Party, one man committed to the cause of inter-caste or community unions. I also remember reading about Gaurav Sharma, who campaigned dressed as Spiderman, crawling over people's windows (a questionable approach, I agree).