UPA versus NDA: What can the numbers tell us?

Elections are a good occasion to test popular narratives against verifiable facts. Let us pick a few and try to verify them. By the time you read this column, voting will have been completed nationwide. This is deliberate, as the purpose is not to contrast prime ministers, governments or political parties. But to drive home the point that narratives tend to be motivated, and thus, we must be careful before buying into them.