If there’s one political view that Mumbai public relations professionals Arati and Suhas Salgaonkar agree on, it’s that AAP is on a weak wicket, and “nobody becomes a politician overnight”. Says Arati, “My husband and I have grown up with different political ideologies; my family has always been pro-Congress, his relatives are long-time BJP supporters. Initially, we would have a lot of debates at home during election season and were reluctant to see the others’ point of view. Over the years, though, we have softened, the tone isn’t as negative as it used to be.” Even so, this time round the split vote issue seems to have become magnified with polarised candidates and the whole Modi vs Rahul posturing, says Suhas. There are, of course, other subtle factors at play. In parts of rural north, the sense is that the first-time voter wants to break away from caste politics. In sections of urban Gujarat, youngsters admit to being enthusiastic about the newness of AAP, unlike their parents and grandparents, but are hesitant to come on record about it. Not all voters though are being coy about their preferences, even if it means breaking the cordial code among relatives. “It helps that my brothers, both SP supporters, don’t live in the same house with us, so confrontations are few,” says Shabiyanjum Tyagi, 25, a school teacher in Meerut, who recently joined the local Congress women’s wing. “Voting has always been such a personal choice for me, I can’t be influenced by what someone in my family says. We’re all different individuals, after all, with different careers, different life choices, each with a strong opinion. It’s hard to have a consensus on one party anymore,” she says.