Update 31st December 2016. 2250 hrs IST
Finishing off my sojourn in Calcutta tomorrow evening. Last update from India. I changed my vote today from neutral to positive. What we see in papers, the social media chatter of Twitterati is not what the situation on the ground is. Spoke to a cross section of people from cab drivers to local grocery to local hardware/ cement/ paint store (30% biz down) to mango people like us. Overwhelming support for De-Mo, at worst neutral. But neither is the world ending nor are people dying in queues. But we are yet to get out of the woods, there's active efforts even now to stymie the cash disbursal. Heard of many ways in which cash is being converted into BM locally from govt. payouts. The whole machinery of ruling party in W.Bengal seems either unaware or complicit. Of all of NaMo's speech today the thing that seems to have resonated with people is his quote, "Do you believe that there are only 24 lacs in India who officially make more than Rs. 10lacs p.a. Met one gentleman who was the staunch bhadralok anti- Modi who was effusive in his praise of NaMo. Hoping that finally a small lotus may bloom in W.Bengal.
So here's the count: Votes in 155
Net Sentiment: 1.26 (has been marginally headed up over the last few days. Given a maximum rating of +2, if this is representative of what people are feeling on the street (i.e.our ability to read mood unbiased when we report), it should indicate a groundswell of support consolidating behind Modi.
