They assumed India’s prime ministership was there for Rajiv’s taking; that, upon his death, it was for the heirs of Rajiv to decide who would be India’s next prime minister. Perhaps they assumed PV would be more biddable than any of the others. That he would be a loyal yes man, a mere rubber stamp, who would do as he was told because he was very old and a political non-entity. However, this remains a simplistic explanation.
