Bombay's champion of Hindu nationalism, Jayawantiben Mehta, has impeccable credentials. During 30 years in politics, she has dutifully campaigned for every major Hindu platform -- from building a temple to Lord Ram on the site of a demolished mosque, to creating a uniform civil code that supersedes Muslim law. But here is what Mehta, 61, promises as she strides through a working-class housing complex while campaigning for Parliament: A ``stable and able government'', led by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, that will provide residents with safe drinking water, housing repairs and more public parks.

Then there is Sanjay Nirupam, 33, a muscular young politician from the Shiv Sena, the Bombay-based shock-troop outfit notoriously known for anti-Islamic activities such as sabotaging cricket matches with Pakistan and provoking anti-Muslim riots. These days, while insisting he is still committed to promoting Hindu causes, Nirupam is also following orders andcampaigning on a solidly secular platform, speaking out for paved roads and literacy programs for rural areas outside Bombay.

So what has happened to Hindutva, the emotionally charged crusade for ``Hindu-ness'' that once defined Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies like Shiv Sena? As the BJP broadens its audience beyond its traditional power base, are the forces of Hindu nationalism fading into history -- or are they just waiting for the right moment to return with a vengeance?