The verdict represents more than just disenchantment with the Congress. It’s a rejection of the politics practised by mainstream parties, seen as opportunistic, as compromised by votebanks, as corrupt and disconnected from ordinary people. Although both Modi and Kejriwal promised change, there were fundamental differences in their messaging. Modi, after all, is a product of established politics. What he offered was simple regime change. Kejriwal raised the bar with talk of radical change through an overhaul of the system. Modi positioned himself as a counter to a weak and corrupt Congress leadership. Kejriwal pitted himself against both national parties by trashing them as power-brokers. Modi’s model of development was India Shining rebooted. Kejriwal urged people to reclaim democracy to make it work for the aam aadmi. Modi’s outreach was limited to middle-class voters. Kejriwal’s appeal cut across sections and classes, from the top, right down to the bottom among the urban poor. Most importantly, what Modi offered boiled down to more of the same, albeit better. Kejriwal held out the audacity of hope.