Perhaps the Sangh Parivar believed that NaMo would make the process of passing the baton in hand of his successor easier as soon as the Sangh chief delivered his judgment of the failure on several counts of the NaMo regime. But NaMo showed no such sign. He has a different temperament as several incidents indicate. He indicated immediately after the final endorsement on his name as a choice to lead the BJP in the electoral battle that his priority would not be the Sangh dictated. His priority for toilets before the temple clearly showed his path would be different.

Even in the campaign he discarded the Sangh dictated religious issues including the temple in Ayodhya. He kept the economic growth in focus of his campaign. He did not accede to the personal efforts by Mohan Bhagwat to return to old path and showed defiant response to the Pratinidhi Sabha, the supreme body in the Sangh Empire. His harsh economic measure of demonetization put the economy in reverse gear, affecting fortunes of traditional vote bank of the party.

His visit to the fall spot in South Africa on railway platform that converted Gandhi from a lawyer to a successful and revered world leader was also defiance of the Sangh ideals. He did not rush with folded hands holding his resignation after Bhagwat publicly disassociated the Sangh with his regime. His angry words reflected his disgust that NaMo was ruling as per his wish and not to further the Sangh aims and objectives. NaMo lived up to resting of Bhagwat.

NaMo moved in opposite direction and frustrated any attempt to remove him. The public announcement at the annual Sangh rally was the verdict by the Sangh chief but before the Sangh would move with the follow up action to get rid of NaMo, he imposed a lock down to control every public activity. His measure also indicated his readiness to fight rather than give in. It left no option for the Sangh but to pull away his seat through an open fight. It is only course open to retain strength and public image. Otherwise NaMo would earn his place in his history far above all opponents of the Sangh. Narendra Modi converted his dependence into his strength with his defiance. He also indicated he would not quit but fight back though open fight may end in pushing both in suspended animation. Both can end up losers as neither can have the requisite majority to retain power.

Avenues for the Sangh were to fight him out in the parliamentary party or on the Lok Sabha floor. Only option available to the Sangh strategists is to fight out in the Lok Sabha. He may not step down even after his defeat in the parliamentary party with a claim he was the NDA Prime Minister and not only BJP elect. He may seek or be asked to seek the confidence vote from the Lok Sabha as the Sangh more than 200 members even within the parliamentary party as nearly 145 in 305 are not under influence of the Sangh as they were recent recruits from other parties and their greed was the cause to be closer to power brought them to the ruling party. In case of such even split in the BJP parliamentary party may induce the entire opposition to vote for NaMo to ensure defeat of the Sangh. Even the move against NaMo in parliament does not thus ensure the success for the Sangh strategy though it is the imperative political need to keep the party in control.

It is but natural for the Sangh loyalists to follow up but even hardcore Sangh followers may have visualized the possibility of his continuation in office like Indira Gandhi from December 1969 to December 1970 and opting for a fresh verdict at the time of her choosing,. The Sangh loyalists may indulge in day dreams of winning a fresh poll with its one of three possible successors. The incapacity of the Uttar Pradesh chief minister has been proven in the assembly byepolls in 2014, and in bye-election of the Gorakhpur seat in the Lok Sabha on his becoming the chief minister. His incapability was reflected in the party decision to keep him away in the 2017 assembly polls. His services were used in six states in 2018 polls. The party got back in power seat only in Gujarat though disenchantment of rural folks was perceptible even in Gujarat.

The Bhagwat favourite Nitin Gadkari cannot impress voters in his area and Amit Shah has long drape of criminal use of his political power to get only defeat without NaMo holding him up. Thus three favourites figuring prominently in whispers in the party since August 2020 have no potential and much less if NaMo is campaigning in opposing. The drastic conversion in maintaining his sartorial and exterior personal looks do suggest he may prefer to retire than to seek the gaddi again. Move or no move again will not induce him from walking away from politics of power. It will only mean return of the coalition politics till a new idealist emerges who can defy the conservative traditional thought that god alone can reign people. With literacy reaching closer to 90 percent, the traditional and imaginary palaces can be nothing but shattered remains.