India, Nov. 27 -- Indian politics is marked by a recurring delusion: a leader begins to mistake applause for permanence and their authority for absolute ownership. The shift is subtle at first, then absolute-they conclude: "I am the party. Without me, it collapses."

The trajectory of Uma Bharti is the purest early case study of this syndrome.

In November 2003, she became Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, elevated by the BJP as a mass mobiliser and Hindutva icon of the Ram Janmabhoomi era amidst slogans like "Bharat ki beti kaisi ho, Uma Bharti jaisi ho".

By then, her self-perception had already evolved from leader to the embodiment. The rupture came in August 2004, when the Supreme Court revived the 1994 Hubli case and the BJP leadersh...