The combination of charm and tough talk has proved too much for his main opponent, Italian-born Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, 57. Gandhi was vaulted into politics after the assassination of her husband Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.
She has made brave attempts to master Hindi and turn herself into a sari-clad Indian but has failed to win mass support among voters who are uncomfortable about her foreign origins and lack of political experience.
"This will not be the victory of the BJP, this will be the victory of Atal Behari Vajpayee," said Malhotra. "People really believe he is the respectable face for the office of prime minister -- that he is the one person who can keep the government on a moderate course."
There are risks voters will believe the BJP and Vajpayee are one and the same, said political commentator Prem Shankar Jha.
Jha worries people are drawn to the BJP by Vajpayees moderate face. He fears if Vajpayee retires, the party will be taken over by extremist elements who believe India is a "Hindu rashtra" or Hindu nation.
"Vajpayee is not the BJP. He is an aberration," Jha said.
RSS