Election Tamasha Ask the rules helper

Instruction manual · Basic, then Attack and Faction · June 2026

Rules of Election Tamasha

Office of the Commissioner of Election Tamasha. Ref. ECT/BASIC/2026/001. Classification: Public (Highly Dramatic). Subject: Model Code of Game Conduct.

This page is the playable rulebook transcribed from the printed manual 16_Election Tamasha Instruction Manual For BW. The public page at electiontamasha.co.in/game-rules was not serving its PDF when this was made. Card-by-card vote prices are printed on the cards. They are not in this book.

[Manual page 1]

General provisions

The Commission issues these directives for free, fair, and sufficiently dramatic elections across all nine constituencies. Arguments do not win seats. Strategy, with adequate KhokaPeti (Fund), does.

  1. 1.1 Players. Two to four players, organised into two parties: the Purple Party and the Yellow Party. The manual does not say how a third player sits in the Basic version. Faction version is the four-player form: two parties, each split into Left and Right.
  2. 1.2 Time. About 45 to 90 minutes, not counting disputes, accusations, or tea breaks.
  3. 1.3 Objective. Win five or more constituencies after the Horse Trading phase. Take Horse Trading seriously. That is where the real politics happens.
[Manual page 2]

Your first game

2–4 players. 45–90 minutes. This section gets a table playing in one sitting. It is the Basic version. Attack version and Faction version add the drama after you have played once.

You and the opposition are high command. You pick candidates (Netas), spend Funds and Pawns, play cards, collect votes, and win constituencies.

The goal. Win 5 or more constituencies by earning votes, then survive Horse Trading to win the election. Pick your candidates, fund their campaigns, fight for votes seat by seat, then survive Horse Trading.

The board has nine constituencies, each named for its dominant voter group:

[Manual page 3]

What’s in the box

For the first game, set aside Attack, Victim, and Faction cards. You will not need them.

Board

Cards

Resources

Other

Attack, Victim, and Faction pieces are used only in the later versions. Counts from the manual: 31 Attack cards; 10 Victim cards per side; 9 Faction cards per colour (9 Purple or 9 Yellow).

The nomination diagram ranks supporters, funds, and risk from Clean (lowest, no risk) through Corrupt to Crook (highest risk). Exact Fund and Pawn numbers are printed on each CandyNeta card. This book only gives the comparison and the Central Party Fund rates below.

[Manual page 4]

Setup

  1. A. Pick your party. Sit at your colour strip — Purple (P Party) or Yellow (Y Party).
  2. B. Arrange the board.
    PositionItem
    BoardConstituencies Board
    Near boardBigNeta — Mrs. Jamuni (Purple), Mr. Haldi (Yellow)
    Purple public pool boxFunds / Pawns / VoteBank Coins
    Yellow public pool boxFunds / Pawns / VoteBank Coins
    Card trayPartyKundali / CandyNeta / Big Campaign / Campaign / Breaking News
    Outside trayWar Room Planner × 2 (one per party)
  3. C. Starting votes. Purple Party draws one random PartyKundali card. It shows the pre-poll survey. Both parties place VoteBank Coins on the board as shown. Discard the card after use.
[Manual page 5]

Phase 1 — Nomination

Place your candidates. Allocate resources.

Step 1 — Place CandyNetas

  1. Shuffle all 28 CandyNeta cards.
  2. Purple Party reveals cards one at a time:
    • Place the card in each empty constituency. Match an SC CandyNeta to the SC constituency, and so on. Miss Bolly goes anywhere.
    • Already filled? Move the card to a side pile.
    • Continue until all 9 seats are filled.
  3. Shuffle the side pile. Yellow Party does the same.

There are nine Neta groups. Each constituency gets one. A CandyNeta can be Clean, Corrupt, or Crook.

[Manual page 6]

Step 2 — Swap CandyNetas

Think of this as pre-election team selection.

  1. Shuffle the remaining CandyNeta cards and deal 5 to each party.
  2. Each party may now swap:
    • (A) Mandatory. Replace one CandyNeta with your BigNeta. Both parties play simultaneously. One BigNeta card per party (Mrs. Jamuni or Mr. Haldi).
    • (B) Optional. Replace up to 5 CandyNetas with your 5 dealt cards.
  3. Discard all remaining CandyNeta cards.

Good to know. Your BigNeta plays like a Crook — biggest resources, biggest risk, and if they win, the opposition can try to buy them in Horse Trading.

Before you swap. Winning with a Crook is useful until the opposition buys them back. Weigh resources against risk before committing.

[Manual page 7]

Step 3 — Resource allocation

  1. Distribute Funds and Pawns from the Public Pool to each CandyNeta, based on the values printed on their card.
  2. Build your Central Party Fund (CPF). Each CandyNeta contributes in exchange for their election ticket:
    • Crook: Rs. 2 Cr each
    • Corrupt: Rs. 1 Cr each
    • Clean: Rs. 0

Keep your CPF hidden behind the War Room Planner. You need it for Campaign cards (see FAQ 5) and for Horse Trading. BigNeta counts as a Crook for this purpose: biggest resources and full Horse Trading risk.

[Manual page 8]

Step 4 — Stock your arsenal

  1. Both parties draw and place 9 Campaign cards in their War Room Planners.
  2. Both parties draw and place 3 Big Campaign cards in their War Room Planners.
  3. Both parties draw 6 Breaking News cards and place them face-down outside the planner.
  4. Discard everything else.

The planner drawing also shows Attack and Victim pockets. Leave those empty in the Basic version.

[Manual page 9]

Phase 2 — Prachar

Campaign round by round for votes.

Opening speech

Purple Party goes first with a short opening speech.

  1. Pick one Big Campaign card and play it in your BigNeta’s constituency. At the start of the game a Big Campaign can only be played in the BigNeta’s constituency. Afterwards it can be played in any constituency (FAQ 2).
  2. Read it aloud.
  3. Return the listed Funds and Pawns from the BigNeta to the Public Pool.
  4. Take the listed VoteBank Coins.
  5. Discard the card.

Yellow Party then does the same in its own BigNeta’s constituency. One Big Campaign is used in this opening, so two Big Campaign cards remain from the three you drew.

[Manual page 10]

Election Prachar

On your turn, play exactly one card: a Campaign card, a Big Campaign card, or a Breaking News card.

Campaign card

Constituency-specific. It must be played in the matching seat.

  1. Pick a card.
  2. Read it aloud.
  3. Return the listed Funds and Pawns to the Public Pool.
  4. Take the listed VoteBank Coins.
  5. Discard the card.

Big Campaign card

After the opening, a Big Campaign can be played in any constituency. Same payment steps: read aloud, return the listed Funds and Pawns to the Public Pool, take the listed VoteBank Coins, discard the card.

[Manual page 11]

Breaking News card

  1. Draw one card face-down.
  2. Your opponent picks the target constituency.
  3. Flip and read aloud.
  4. If the card gains: take the listed resources and give them to the CandyNeta, to your CPF, or split them.
  5. If the card loses: return the listed resources to the Public Pool.
  6. Discard the card.

Of the 27 Breaking News cards (FAQ 4): 12 gain resources or votes, 3 gain only resources, 6 reduce resources or votes, and 6 reduce only Funds.

Running low on resources to campaign

Running low on resources for Breaking News

Use CPF. If that is exhausted too, you lose the seat.

When Prachar ends

Prachar ends when both parties have played all 6 Breaking News cards — one per eligible turn. Playing all Campaign cards and all Big Campaign cards is optional.

Each turn is still exactly one card. A Campaign card, a Big Campaign card, or a Breaking News card each use up the turn. The phase does not end merely because six turns have passed. It ends when both parties have played all six of their Breaking News cards.

[Manual page 12]

Phase 3 — Counting and Horse Trading

Who won what

  1. The most VoteBank Coins in a constituency wins that seat.
  2. If tied, resolve in this order:
    1. Most remaining Funds in the seat.
    2. Most remaining Pawns.
    3. Coin flip or dice roll.
  3. Win 5 or more seats to win the election. Horse Trading still decides the true winner.

Horse Trading

Even the losing party can flip the result by purchasing the winner’s Crook and Corrupt CandyNetas. Only Crook and Corrupt winners are for sale. Clean candidates do not switch. A winning BigNeta is treated as a Crook, so a winning BigNeta can be bought.

Price: Rs. 5 Cr per CandyNeta, paid from CPF only.

  1. A — Initial seats won by each party.
  2. B — Tradable winners (the manual’s sheet also says “Sellable Winners”): winning Crook and Corrupt CandyNetas on each side, including a winning BigNeta.
  3. C — CPF balance.
  4. D — Buying capacity: divide CPF by Rs. 5 Cr. Ignore remainders. The sheet writes this as CPF ÷ 5.
  5. E — Final Sauda: the lower of your buying capacity (D) and the opponent’s tradable winners (B). That is how many seats can change hands.
  6. F — Final strength: initial seats (A) + seats purchased (E).

Higher F wins. If F is tied, the party with more initial seats wins. The winner delivers a short victory speech. No unparliamentary language.

The manual says purchased seats “change hands”, and it defines Final Strength only as A + E. It does not print a separate line that subtracts seats you sold. When someone asks who wins, follow the printed sheet: higher F, and on a tie more initial seats. Do not add a subtraction the sheet does not show.

[Manual page 13]

Attack version

Play Basic first. All Basic rules still apply. This section is only what is new.

Attack cards are public allegations against the opponent’s Crook and Corrupt CandyNetas. No resources are required to play one. If they cannot defend with a Victim card, they lose votes.

Stocking the arsenal — additions to Step 4

Attack cards

  1. Shuffle all 31 cards. Both parties draw 12 cards alternately.
  2. Keep only 3, targeting opponent CandyNetas by name (see FAQ 6).
  3. Place them in the Attack pockets of the War Room Planner. Discard the rest.

Victim cards

  1. Select any 2 of your 10 cards that match your Crook, Corrupt, or BigNeta by name.
  2. Place them in the Victim pockets of the War Room Planner. Discard the rest.

Prachar with Attack cards

After the opening speech (Big Campaign in the BigNeta’s constituency), Prachar begins. Purple Party takes the first turn.

On each turn, play exactly one of:

Attack card

  1. Read it aloud. No Funds or Pawns are required.
  2. If the opponent holds a matching Victim card, they play it to cancel. Both cards are discarded.
    3. [Manual page 14]
  3. Otherwise, remove the listed VoteBank Coins from that constituency and return them to the Public Pool.
  4. Deficit rule. If votes run short, the attacking party gains the difference.

Counting and Horse Trading are identical to the Basic version.

Faction version

Four players, two parties, one internal power struggle. All earlier rules still apply except where this section changes them.

Each party splits into Left (L) and Right (R). The factions compete individually. The party must still win the election. Inside the winning party, the Faction with the most winning seats (Addas) is the Kingmaker.

Setup additions

[Manual page 15]

Phase 1 — Nomination

Purple Party goes first when placing CandyNetas.

Each constituency a Faction places becomes their Adda. The diagram tells you to find the matching Faction constituency card in the War Room Planner and place that Faction card in your party’s planner.

Swapping. Each Faction swaps only inside their own Addas. Left Faction places the BigNeta in any of its 4 Addas. The two Factions of a party may swap jointly if both agree.

Arsenal. Each Faction keeps at most 2 Attack cards and 1 Victim card.

[Manual page 16]

Phase 2 — Prachar

Opening speech. The Left Faction of Purple Party plays first: opening speech and Big Campaign in the BigNeta’s Adda. Yellow Party’s Left Faction plays the next turn.

Election Prachar. Factions alternate. Same card options as Attack version, with these changes:

[Manual page 17]

Phase 3 — Counting and Horse Trading

A Faction can win the game only if its party wins the election. Factions use separate CPFs to purchase an opposing Crook or Corrupt.

The sheet has a column for Purple Left, Purple Right, Purple total, Yellow Left, Yellow Right, and Yellow total. Rows:

RowMeaning
AInitial seats won
BSellable winners
CCPF balance
DCapacity to buy. CPF ÷ 5, ignore remainders.
EFinal Sauda. Lower of your capacity (D) and the opponent’s sellable winners (B).
FFinal strength. Initial seats (A) + seats purchased (E).

The Horse Trading diagram shows two ways to pay: each Faction may fund a purchase from its own CPF, or the Factions may jointly fund. The marked price is 5 per Neta, the same Rs. 5 Cr price as Basic.

Winner

Faction tie-breakers

  1. The Factions agree on a winner.
  2. If not, they trade resources or influence internally.
  3. If CPFs are equal and there is still no agreement: total re-election.

Otherwise the Kingmaker delivers the victory speech.

Factions cannot attack each other (FAQ 7). Attack cards target the opposing party only. Rivalry inside a party is Adda control and CPF competition.

[Manual page 18]

Strategy notes

Picking CandyNetas. Crooks and Corrupts win seats faster, and every one who wins is a seat the opposition can buy back. Clean CandyNetas are safer. Sometimes that is the right call.

Breaking News. You choose when to play it. Your opponent chooses where it lands. Play it when you can live with any outcome in the seat they might pick, or when you are willing to gamble and want them to sweat the choice.

[Manual page 19]

FAQ

  1. How do I replace a CandyNeta with the BigNeta? During the mandatory swap (Step 2A), the BigNeta replaces one CandyNeta on the board. You may also replace up to 5 more with your dealt cards. For Attack and Victim purposes, the BigNeta is treated as a Crook: full risk, and eligible for Horse Trading if they win.
  2. Can a Big Campaign be played anywhere? At the start of the game, only in the BigNeta’s constituency. Afterwards, in any constituency. Favour the highest vote gain for the lowest cost.
  3. How do I choose a Campaign card? Check votes, Funds, and Pawns in each seat. Play where you are closest to winning, or where you most need to defend a lead.
  4. How do I choose a Breaking News constituency? Of 27 cards: 12 gain resources or votes, 3 gain only resources, 6 reduce resources or votes, 6 reduce only Funds. Name the seat where good news helps you most, or where bad news hurts your opponent most. In play, the opponent names the seat when you play the card. This answer is about how to think when you are the one naming it.
  5. What if I run out of Funds? Use your CPF. If both are exhausted, you cannot play cards that require Funds. The CPF you protect is the weapon you use in Horse Trading.
  6. How do I choose Attack cards? Target strong opposition candidates, not just any Crook or Corrupt. If the opponent likely holds a matching Victim card, you spend a card and gain nothing.
  7. Can Factions attack each other? No. Attack cards target the opposing party only.
  8. Can multiple tie-breakers happen? Yes. Funds first, Pawns second, then a coin toss or dice roll.
  9. What is the most important resource? It changes. Funds and Pawns win votes during Prachar. VoteBank Coins are the scoreboard. CPF decides the final winner. What you protect early is what wins late.
[Manual page 20]

Certificate of Authentication

Office of the Commissioner of Election Tamasha. Ref. No.: ECT/CLOSING/2026/003.

Proceedings conducted under the auspices of Ajjo Creations. Officers commended: Deputy Commissioner Jayati Ambekar; Chief Narrative Officer Sujay Hande; Secretary Trushant Ugalmugale; Chief of Ground Operations Mukul Kulkarni; Illustrators Akshay Mahajan, Girish Sahastrabuddhe, Vedant Malve, Shubham Hulsure.

What this book does not contain

Chief Commissioner’s rulings

Official rulings issued by Ajay Ambekar, creator of Election Tamasha and Chief Commissioner. These rulings clarify ambiguous situations, settle table disputes, and take precedence over any alternate interpretations.

Horse Trading

  1. Seat transfer and Final Strength: When a party buys a winning Crook or Corrupt CandyNeta for Rs. 5 Cr, the other party loses that seat. The crook or corrupt defects to the opposition in exchange for Rs. 5 Cr (we do not say the other party is "selling" the seat). The buyer adds the bought seat: Final Strength = initial seats won + seats purchased.
  2. Both parties may buy: Both parties can buy during Horse Trading using whatever remaining balance they have in their Central Party Fund (CPF), at the flat rate of Rs. 5 Cr per winning Crook or Corrupt CandyNeta.
  3. Purchasing discretion: You are not required to buy all eligible candidates; how many you buy depends on your remaining balance in the CPF. If you have the funds, you can buy eligible candidates at Rs. 5 Cr each up to your buying capacity.
  4. Choosing which candidate: The High Command has full liberty to choose which specific winning Crook or Corrupt CandyNeta to buy from among the eligible candidates.
  5. BigNeta is sellable: Because the BigNeta is treated as a Crook, a winning BigNeta can be bought by the opposition during Horse Trading for Rs. 5 Cr.

Faction version and Kingmaker

  1. No pooling CPF for purchases: Factions cannot combine or pool funds (e.g. Rs. 4 Cr + Rs. 4 Cr) to buy a candidate. The Rs. 5 Cr price is a flat rate that must be paid individually from a faction's own CPF.
  2. Seat control if bought together: If factions were to buy together, the faction holding control of that constituency keeps the seat.
  3. Independent purchase pools: Factions do not share one combined purchase list with the other faction, because the Kingmaker title is declared based on the individual faction's winning seats plus bought seats.
  4. Who is Kingmaker: The Kingmaker is the faction within the winning party that won the most seats (initial winning seats + bought seats combined), not merely the faction with the most Addas.
  5. Faction tie-breakers: If two factions within the winning party tie on seats, they must bargain and reach agreement among themselves if they want to avoid a re-election. The CPF has no role in breaking a faction tie—after counting, CPF is strictly for buying opposition candidates. If they cannot agree, it goes to a total re-election.

Breaking News and vote calculations

  1. Losing a seat on Breaking News: If a player suffers a Breaking News loss and their CPF is completely empty, they lose the seat for which that Breaking News card was played, making the opposing party the immediate winner of that constituency.
  2. Breaking News resource deduction: When a Breaking News card results in a loss of Funds or Pawns, the resources are deducted from the player who played the card (not the opponent who picked the target constituency).
  3. Deficit rule (VoteBank Coins running out):
    • When an Attack card reduces an opponent's votes and there are no VoteBank Coins left to deduct from that seat, the attacking player receives the difference in VoteBank Coins.
    • When a Breaking News card causes the player who played it to lose votes and there are no VoteBank Coins left to deduct in that seat, the opposition CandyNeta receives the difference in VoteBank Coins.

Paying for cards and campaigns

  1. Seat-specific resources: A standard Campaign card's listed Funds and Pawns must come directly from the CandyNeta sitting in that specific constituency.
  2. No cross-seat funding: Funds on one CandyNeta cannot be used to pay for a campaign in another constituency.
  3. BigNeta CPF ticket: All Crooks, including the BigNeta, pay Rs. 2 Cr from their own printed starting Fund into the CPF as a party donation.

Seating and turn order

  1. Three-player games: With three players, it is up to the players to decide who acts as High Command for the Yellow Party or the Purple Party.
  2. Four-player games: Four players are not restricted to the Faction version; they can also play the Basic or Attack version with two High Commands per party.
  3. Passing when out of legal cards: If a player has no legal card left to play on their turn during Prachar, they do nothing (pass). The other party continues campaigning.
  4. Faction opening turn order: After both Left factions have played their opening Big Campaign, the next turn belongs to the Right Faction.
  5. Faction CandyNeta swaps: In the Faction version, the 5 swap CandyNetas are handled by each respective faction, and both factions make decisions in tandem.

Attack, Victim, and Miss Bolly

  1. Attack cards in hand: A party can keep at most 3 Attack cards matching the names of opponent CandyNetas. If fewer than 3 matching cards appear in the draw, the party simply keeps fewer (that is tough luck).
  2. Drawing Attack cards in Faction: In the Faction version, the party draws the 12 Attack cards (not each faction drawing 12 separately), and then divides them.
  3. Attacking within an Adda: The rule "Attack only opposition constituencies in your Adda" means you can only target an opposition CandyNeta situated in a constituency you placed / control.
  4. Counterpart faction for Breaking News: In Faction, "counterpart faction" means Left names the constituency for Left, and Right names the constituency for Right.
  5. Swapping constraints vs Miss Bolly: A swap card only permits swapping into a matching constituency. Only Miss Bolly can be placed in any constituency.
  6. Table conduct: Parties may argue passionately about any political situation, but must strictly use parliamentary language!

Source manual: “16_Election Tamasha Instruction Manual For BW”, 20 pages, Office of the Commissioner of Election Tamasha, June 2026. Publisher named in the manual: Ajjo Creations. The website box copy still says “Battle” and “War” for the advanced sets. This manual names those sets Attack and Faction.