A cause for concern if in public perception the party begins to get associated with one man alone

Journalist Inder Sawhney

The charismatic Mr Vajpayee - who has represented the BJP in parliament since the 1950s - has always been the party's biggest vote-catcher.

He is also the party's biggest crowd-puller.

This was underscored yet again when a public meeting in Nagpur was quite literally washed out - as much because of rains as due to the sudden departure of the prime minister.

The BJP has historically taken pride in projecting itself as a party with a difference - where ideology and not personalities have traditionally shown the way.

But it was different this time.

New direction

The party convention was meant to establish the party's firm commitment to the cause of social justice and this message was to be flashed across the country through the appointment of new party chief, Bangaru Laxman.

Mr Laxman is the BJP's first low caste leader

Mr Laxman is the first Dalit - or low caste Hindu - to occupy the top position in a party which has traditionally been dominated by upper caste leaders.

The convention was also meant to be an opportunity to discuss the economic and political programmes of the Vajpayee-led government.

Resolutions were due to be passed at the end of the session to signal that it was the party which showed the way to the government.

But it happened the other way round.

The economic and political resolutions passed in the convention were nothing more than a ratification and post-facto approval of the government's policies.

Succession doubt

The appointment of Mr Laxman as party chief was seen by many observers as another victory for the prime minister, who wanted the post to go to somebody he could trust completely.

LK Advani: Undisputed No 2

"Having a charismatic leader at the helm definitely has its plus points. But it becomes a cause for concern if in public perception the party begins to get associated with one man alone," says Inder Sawhney, a Delhi-based journalist who has reported on the BJP for more than 10 years.

"More so if there are doubts about the leader's health and fitness," he adds.

There has never really been a debate in the party on the issue of who is to succeed Mr Vajpayee.

The BJP is trying to position itself as a natural party of governance

Journalist Bharti Sinha

This is mainly because the issue is considered settled, with Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani accepted as the undisputed number two in the party.

The question which has always haunted BJP supporters is whether Mr Advani would be as acceptable to the BJP's coalition partners as the prime minister.

Health scare

It surfaced once again during the Nagpur convention following the sudden departure of the prime minister.

Right now there is little alarm over the prime minister's health.

Mr Vajpayee looked well and his voice was quite strong during the brief speech he made just before returning to Delhi.

But the fact that he is not completely fit is beginning to sink in among party members.

"The party has never exuded more confidence and with the Congress still not showing signs of a revival, the BJP is trying to position itself as a natural party of governance in the country," says Bharti Sinha of the Business Standard newspaper.

But not many believe that a single party would be able to secure a parliamentary majority on its own in the near future.

If the BJP is to really succeed in an era of coalition politics, it will have to throw up a second generation of leadership which would be as acceptable to its coalition partners as Mr Vajpayee is.