One India I have been thinking about is taking a few days to actually travel through Uttar Pradesh to get a better sense of what is happening. Maybe, even attend some of the rallies of the leaders. It is an India that is very different from what we in Mumbai are used to. Even though we have the municipal corporation elections in mid-Feb here, they are no match for the excitement of what is happening in UP!
Another aspect I am curious to understand is the impact of Urban Middle India. Is there really an aspirational middle class that is willing to look beyond caste and vote for a positive agenda (in case one exists)? Is this class large enough to really make a difference in the electoral outcome? Or has this class, like we have been told, switched off and seceded?
All in all, we are in for an exciting couple months ahead, culminating in the budget. And once that is over, we need to get ready for the next set of elections. We (as in our elected representatives) need to elect a President and Vice-President. And once that is over, we are on to Gujarat and the next set of states. Election excitement aplenty! Hopefully, in all this, we will also get some reforms and decisions to move India forward.
