Government egg hatches: Plan B - Jayalalithaa, Plan C - Naveen Patnaik, Plan D - out with Modi

New Delhi: Behind the euphoria of exit polls, there is a growing concern in saffron quarters over the numbers game, particularly if the NDA stops somewhere between 230 to 240 Lok Sabha berths.

While the party leadership is in touch with the AIADMK, the BJD, and even the YSR Congress, among others, the lotus brigade led by Narendra Modi would obviously hope that the NDA gets a simple majority on its own. The reason is that Mr Modi as PM would need a lot of elbow room to push through his desired reforms.

If his government has to rely on support outside the NDA, particularly from Ms Jayalalithaa, Mr Modi might find it difficult to push through some key policies.

While the BJP could seek AIADMK support if the NDA stops at 240 seats, it has not forgotten Ms Jayalalithaa had brought down the 13-month-old Atal Behari Vajpayee government in 1999. The BJP is also not entirely confident whether the regional players will back a Modi-led government or insist that a different BJP leader head the government if the NDA falls short of a simple majority by 30-40 seats.

With West Bengal due to hold Assembly polls in 2016, Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee is in no position to support a Modi-led government at the Centre given that Muslims comprise around 30 per cent of the electorate in her state.

It is learnt that as the election progressed Mr Modi was told that the NDA would come within striking distance of a simple majority.

In the last phases saffron spin doctors became confident that the NDA could even touch 300 Lok Sabha berths. Mr Modi, who was initially careful in his speeches, later began attacking the regional satraps, from Mamata Banerjee to Jayalalithaa to Naveen Patnaik.

If a scenario emerges where regional players refuse to support Mr Modi, all eyes will be on the RSS, whether it thr-ows its weight behind a face acceptable to the regional leaders, including the Trinamul chief.