Great quote on why the NDA stumbled in the elections: Wired: “What ‘India Shining’ are we talking about? We are dying hungry here,” said Santram, a farmer just 45 miles from the gleaming new malls of the capital.”

NDTV’s Rajdeep Sardesai hits the nail on the head:

Ironically, its not as if the demanding Indian voter is expecting a dramatic change in life. Glossy ad campaigns can conjure up images of a farmer with a mobile but most Indian voters don?t see the mobile as the ultimate symbol of social mobility.

The Sensex may be projected as the ultimate barometer of economic well being, but not everyone is looking to become a member of the equity cult.

Yes, creating an aspirational society and capturing the excitement of the market economy is important, but ultimately most voters just want to feel that small changes are being made in their life that create hope for the future.

Which is why bijli, sadak, pani matter more even today than BSNL or a BSE for a majority of the Indian voters.