Anyhow, he started emerging as the national leader of his party in his own way. The social media played the vital role in his emergence. BJP supporters on net had in Modi their super hero, because he was the main target of the opponents of BJP. As Gujarat CM Narendra Modi was busy making his image of a Vikas Purush, while his political opponents were busy in dubbing him as communal. The politics of his opponents strengthened him among young BJP supporters and his own image making exercise made him acceptable among the people outside his party and RSS. In this process he became the most popular leader of India and all surveys, without any exception, found him to be much ahead of other leaders of the country in popular rating.

The popularity of Modi was rising within and outside BJP and his party rating was coming down at the same time, because of the failures of BJP leaders based in Delhi in offering opposition to the ruling UPA and its largest constituent Congress. After the 2009 Lok Sabha election, it was the Yadav trio (Sharad, Lalu and Mulayam) who were seen occupying the major space of opposition and later on Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdeo filled the vacuum caused by the passive approach of BJP leaders within and outside Parliament. Advani was asked to take rest and act as just a guardian of the second rung leaders and Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley failed to leave their mark as opposition leaders. The condition of BJP became pathetic. It was failing to take advantage of the declining fortunes of Congress.

When Rajnath Singh became the President of the party, he had no other option but to rope in Modi to bail out his party from the pathetic situation. Though, Advani was asked to retire by RSS, he was still harboring the ambition of becoming the next PM and he was using his blogs to vent his ambition and frustrations. In one of his blogs he had rightly analyzed that if Congress condition was worsening, the condition of BJP was not improving. Rajnath Singh realized that BJP fortune could be raised only with the help of Narendra Modi and he should be declared the PM candidate. Since, he is from Uttar Pradesh and that is why he was well aware of the benefits of the caste background of Narendra Modi, who happens to be Teli, which is known as Ghanchi in Gujarat. Modi had all the ingredients to win the election. He was the superman in the eyes of youthful supporters of BJP. As CM of Gujarat, he was in a position to raise funds for the party and above all as an OBC, he had the potential to have tremendous appeal among the largest community of OBCs having over 52 percent population of the county. All the three factors combined together enabled BJP to get absolute majority in the Parliament and Narendra Modi is now undisputed leader of the party.

Though, he is an undisputed leader of the party, yet he cannot claim that he is an unchallenged leader. There are many leaders in the party who have their own ambition. Though they might have suppressed their ambition to become the Prime Minister by replacing Modi, they have other ambitions, which may be unacceptable to Modi. If they fail to fulfill their ambition, the conflict between them and Modi is bound to escalate and they are likely to pose challenge to the leadership of Modi.

The first such taste was experienced by Prime Minister Modi, when he was forming his cabinet. Many leaders wanted their son or daughter to be included among the cabinet and the PM had decided that his government will not show inclination towards dynastic politics. Though, many tickets were given to the sons and daughters for Lok Sabha election, but that was the decision of the party. The formation of his cabinet was his own decision and Modi did not want to give an impression that he was pro dynastic rule. He himself had campaigned against the dynastic politics of Congress and he did not allow his own family men in politics, he is not inclined to fulfill the dynastic ambition of the politicians of his party.

It is said that Maneka Gandhi wanted her son to be made a Minister, but Modi refused to oblige her. Gandhi does not carry much clout in the party, but another leader with much more clout is Vasundhara Raje, who wanted her son to be included in the cabinet. Modi had asked her to send some other names to be considered for Cabinet berth. She gave only one name from her State Rajasthan and that was none other than her son. Modi refused her too and Rajasthan was almost going to be unrepresented. At the eleventh hour the name of Nihalchand was included at the behest of BJP leader Om Mathur. But now Modi is facing problem over Nihalchand, who has been implicated in a case of sexual molestation. The case is not new. In fact during the tenure of Ashok Gehlot government, Nihalchand was given a clean chit, but now again that controversy has raised its head and it is alleged that CM of Rajasthan Vasundhara Raje is behind that controversy and she is trying to embarrass Narendra Modi.

This is just an example. There are other BJP leaders too, who have dynastic ambitions to fulfill and if they are unfulfilled, they may pose challenge to Narendra Modi in various ways. (IPA Service)