PoliticalGlossary
The vocabulary, explained honestly.
Every term carries a definition, why it actually matters to a campaign, and an example drawn from Indian elections. Free, public, and written for people entering politics rather than for people already inside it.
Short answer
What is a political glossary?
This political glossary defines the terminology of Indian elections and campaigns — electoral process, campaign strategy, data and research, communications, digital, governance and compliance. Each entry gives a plain-language definition, an explanation of why the term matters to a campaign, and a worked example drawn from an Indian election. It is free and public.
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43terms · All terms
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4- Back-CheckRe-contacting a share of survey respondents to verify enumerator honesty.
- Booth CommitteeA local team responsible for campaign activity at a single polling booth.
- BridgingAnswering a hostile question honestly and returning to your message.
- By-ElectionAn election held to fill a single seat vacated mid-term.
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5- Margin PathThe arithmetic route to the number of votes required to win.
- Message ArchitectureThe structured hierarchy of a campaign’s core promise and supporting arguments.
- Micro-TargetingDirecting specific messages to narrowly defined voter segments.
- MisinformationFalse information circulating regardless of intent to deceive.
- Model Code of ConductECI guidelines governing party and candidate conduct once an election is announced.
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9- Sampling Error / Margin of ErrorThe uncertainty inherent in estimating a population from a sample.
- Scenario ModellingTesting how different assumptions about turnout and swing change the outcome.
- Scheme ConvergenceCombining multiple government schemes to fund a single outcome.
- Silence PeriodThe 48 hours before polling closes when public campaigning is prohibited.
- Social ListeningContinuous monitoring of online conversation about a campaign.
- Stratified SamplingDividing a population into groups and sampling proportionately from each.
- SurrogateAn authorised supporter who carries the campaign message publicly.
- SwingThe change in vote share between two elections, measuring movement of support.
- Swing VoterA voter whose choice is genuinely undecided and can be moved by campaigning.
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143 terms and counting
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