Reports are emerging that after the Kumbh Mela, Yogi Adityanath’s profile has increased for holding a successful event, the stampede apart. But there are others too.

“If Modi is the Alpha Hindutva Male, Adityanath is the Alpha Hindutva Male in waiting,” says Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, longtime observer and analyst of the right-wing Hindutva ecosystem. “He has been getting a lot of support from Hindutva people and even the RSS.”

In a podcast with Sidharth Bhatia, Mukhopadhyay discusses a possible post-Modi scenario. “Many things will depend on the circumstances in which he goes.” For example, “if he decides to step down after turning 75 in September, following the BJP’s own rule.” He says for all his appeal among Hindutva types, Yogi will not get the support of “allies or the middle-classes. No one is the complete package like Narendra Modi,” he says.

In this wide-ranging discussion, Mukhopadhyay also talks about the differences between Modi and the RSS, the many other pending Hindutva issues before the BJP, and the agenda behind the One Nation One Election proposal.