It is easy to misread the Indian election result as enlightened voters slamming the brakes on the spread of Hindutva ideology and the Bharatiya Janata Party juggernaut. It was perhaps no more than a costly tactical mistake by the BJP, which fought the elections with typical cockiness but uncharacteristic complacency.

It overplayed its narrative hand and was aced by an opposition which capitalised on the unforced error. It helped that the BJP's hubris did not let the party correct the blunder. Instead, they kept betting on the same number for the jackpot. The party was lucky to escape with bruises from what many gleefully see as a train wreck, although a careful examination would reveal that it is barely scathed.

The BJP is nothing but an instrument in a much larger mission that transcends five-year election cycles and mortal leaders, their occasional delusions notwithstanding. The ideological project completes a century in its organised form, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), next year. The Hindutva enterprise is unhindered and deep-set.

There were stray comments from RSS leaders about the elections. Indresh Kumar, patron of the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, which is ideologically affiliated to the RSS, remarked caustically that “the party that worshipped Ram but gradually became arrogant was declared the largest party. However, due to their arrogance, the votes and power they should have received were withheld by God”. It may be seen as a rebuke to the BJP leadership but despite Kumar being a member of the RSS national executive, it does not mean much as he has no publicly known responsibility vis a vis the BJP.

An analysis of the BJP's muted show by Ratan Sharda in the Sangh Parivar mouthpiece........

© NDTV