It is true that the party was brought to power by the votes of aam aadmi in May 2004. But a large number of them do not live where its Rajya Sabha ideologues of 1970 vintage expect to find them now. The Congress or its UPA allies had swept all of the urban centres in India, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Chandigarh and so on. Its confused economics today is punishing those very voters, without bringing any appreciable benefit to the two sections who did not vote for it, the farmers and the really poor. Unless it makes a course correction now — to just follow the path of sound, growth-oriented economics, better distribution through reformed governance and, above all, an optimistic politico-economic discourse — it is heading for trouble. When an incumbent goes to seek re-election after five years, it cannot say everything is wrong, so give me five more years. It has to come up with its own version of India Shining. And after six years of 8 per cent plus growth (unlike just eight months for the NDA) that might just be the appeal to cut across old electoral barriers, like aam aadmi, farmer, middle class, poor, urban and rural in a hugely aspirational, impatient and rapidly urbanising society. —sg@expressindia.com