Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's statement that his deputy Lal Kishenchand Advani will lead the Bharatiya Janata Party in the next general election does not seem to have caused too much of a flutter in the National Democratic Alliance circles.

Although senior leaders within the Telugu Desam Party, Janata Dal-United and the Samata Party maintained a studied silence on the issue, sources in these parites told rediff.com that Vajpayee had managed to pull the rug from under the feet of the hardline camp in the BJP.

Seasoned observers also felt that it was a calculated move by Vajpayee to force the party rank and file to back him even after the next round of assembly elections.

Many said Vajpayee's announcement also left no scope for Advani to bid for prime ministership, if the NDA retained power in the next general election.

With this single stroke, observers said, he has also silenced the Sangh Pariwar and its outfits, particularly the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which has been bitterly critical of Vajpayee on a number of issues.

Vajpayee has a sound understanding of his position and is aware of the fact that the NDA partners consider him as 'indispensable' for coalition politics, they said. His statement, they added, has only served to reinforce the message to his detractors that he is the only leader acceptable to the NDA partners.

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