Hope and expectation, according to some schools of Hindu philosophy, are fraught with danger and disappointment. And so an air of plaintiveness has entered the voices of those who had voted with such enthusiasm for Narendra Modi as prime minister and his promise of better days. Many of those voters have been clear from the outset that we should differentiate between Modi and the political organisation he belongs to — the Bharatiya Janata Party. They voted for one and not necessarily the other.

An electorate, sick of the seeming paralysis of the former government, the historical baggage of the Congress and the family pack of Nehru-Gandhi playing cards, had apparently picked the vibrant and new option. Varying figures 60 to 68 years of Congress rule was enough. It was time for change and Modi represented change.