Madhya Pradesh’s Chauhan too termed Advani’s greeting “normal courtesy”, but the sheepish smile he used to maintain silence over a volley of questions showed there was more than meets the eye.

Advani had openly vetoed Modi’s elevation as he refused to be party to the parliamentary board meeting that endorsed the Gujarat chief minister’s name as the PM candidate.

Since then, however, Advani has refrained from publicly opposing the leader and has even gone on to praise his achievements in Gujarat.

The patriarch, however, has not raised his hands yet, sources close to him maintain. He is waiting for the opportune time.

He would strike once the BJP failed to get enough numbers despite the Modi hype. The BJP then would need allies to form the government and would be compelled to look towards Advani.

Today’s reach-out to Nitish was seen as a political investment for post-2014 equations. Chauhan is widely believed to be Advani’s partner in this strategy.

Nitish, who was the first to raise the banner of revolt against Modi, while he was still part of the NDA, is known to share a good bond with Advani.

Many believe that Advani was the drive behind Nitish’s rebellion against Modi.

The 85-year-old leader strongly believes that Modi’s elevation would drive away key allies like the JD(U) and shift the focus from the anti-Congress plank in the country.