NAGPUR: Far from plunging the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and a sizeable section of its political offspring BJP into despondency, decimation in Delhi elections is being viewed as a much needed jolt for the “two men” who controlled the party relegating all others to insignificance.

Many in the Sangh headquarters feel that the Delhi poll outcome would serve as a timely lesson for the BJP leadership and now they would think of restoring internal democracy. The party is aiming to become the world’s largest by enrolling 10 crore members. But there is a perception that only two men – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his chosen party president Amit Shah – control it. Such a situation has lent itself to bouts of insecurity in the party that once boasted of strong cadre and structured leadership.

A former senior pracharak cited the instance of how Union minister for transport and shipping Nitin Gadkari, who was in-charge of the last assembly elections in Delhi, was not even consulted this time. “Gadkari was former party president and in December 2013 Delhi state he steered the fight against a much stronger AAP and Arvind Kejriwal. However, the party did not use him in the elections because of whims of two leaders,” he said. The party also did not take into confidence the 32 MLAs who won in last elections, he added.

A senior swayamsevak here also acknowledged that the RSS disapproved of desperate move of inducting Kiran Bedi and some former AAP activists into the BJP at the last minute. None other than RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat spoke about his displeasure on projection of Bedi as CM candidate.

Another swayamsevak said they way Raghubar Das and Manoharlal Khattar were made chief ministers of Jharkhand and Haryana, respectively, by Modi and Shah also showed absence of inner democracy in the party. “This jolt should now give the party enough reasons for introspection and to find out why the BJP that got overwhelming response in Lok Sabha elections nine months ago in Delhi was summarily rejected now,” he said.

Senior RSS ideologue MG Vaidya said the AAP won because of an “anti-BJP wave” and not an “anti-Modi wave”.

