As 11 million poll officials, over 900 million voters and 8,000 candidates converged across the million polling booths to participate in the recently concluded Indian elections 2019, many of them were followed around by some sharp pairs of eyes. National Geographic captured the world’s largest democratic exercise in its cameras and is ready to show the world what it saw. The NatGeo film, a documentary, will premiere soon.
NatGeo announced on Tuesday covering the “great Indian elections” was one of its most ambitious projects.
The multi-crew epic production was shot in 37 locations across the length and breadth of India over the last six months to be able to tell a gripping story. “From the highest echelons of the Election Commission of India to the booth level officers (BLOs), from the topmost political leaders to ground level party workers, from first-time voters to 100-year-old voters, there is absolutely nothing that National Geographic’s cameras have not covered to bring the story of the world’s largest elections that has the entire world enthralled,” the television channel says in a statement.
The locations covered to show the geographically and socio-politically diverse country include the corridors of EC offices in Delhi, some places on the India-China border, densely populated bylanes of UP and Tamil Nadu, sensitive areas of Chhattisgarh and the forests of Sunderbans, with the National Geographic crew following key political leaders on their campaign trail.
NatGeo says its cameras will take the viewers behind the scenes of the political party’s war rooms, give a ringside view of massive political rallies, examine the role social media played and show how new technology was used to woo the voters.
Speaking about the documentary, Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora said, “Keeping voter convenience and simplicity at the helm of the electoral process is not only a challenging task logistically, but also an effective outreach programme to each voter. This is a testament to making the world’s largest election a success.”
He added: “It’s great to see a brand like National Geographic capturing the enormity of this exercise and showcasing this challenging journey to the viewers with an unbiased eye.”
Commenting on the announcement, Gayatri Yadav, President & Head-Consumer Strategy and Innovation, Star India, said, “National Geographic is excited to tell a story of democracy that is relevant to the world over. For the first time, viewers will get to understand the complexities and vastness of the largest democratic exercise in the world and every Indian will feel proud of being a part of this incredible journey.”
She added: “This mammoth exercise in logistics and planning involves implementing the model code of conduct, voter awareness activities, the largest peacetime deployment of security forces and managing mind boggling numbers which makes for a very captivating story that National Geographic is proud to bring to the world.”