Clock ticking for BJP’s allies?

Ajit Pawarrsquos departure is not just another political headline It is like the Nationalist Congress Partyrsquos NCP clock its symbol has lost its main hand The partyrsquos rhythm slows down and the whole alliance is likely to move differently This is the kind of moment that will change Maharashtrarsquos political map And that is what may now happen inside the ldquotripleengine sarkarrdquo Mahayuti made up of the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP Eknath Shindersquos Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawarrsquos NCPThe NCP was already finding it hard to stay strong in todayrsquos broken and changing politics Pawarrsquos absence makes the situation even worse The party depended heavily on his leadership his control over government work and his ability to negotiate power Without him the NCP risks losing not only a leader but also its directionThe signs of change are already clear The BJPrsquos recent wins in the Pune and PimpriChinchwad municipal corporations areas long seen as strongholds of the Pawar family and the NCP show how fast things are shifting These were not just small local elections They were important political signals from Pawarrsquos home ground The BJPrsquos success there suggests that the NCPrsquos base is weakening and even old political bastions are no longer safeAjit Pawar was not just deputy chief minister in name He was the NCPrsquos strongest administrator and its most powerful negotiator He made sure the party remained important inside the government His presence gave the NCP more influence than its numbers suggested In alliances power is not only about seats it is about who can bargain and who can hold ground Pawar gave the NCP that strength Without him the party may start looking like a small partner with little weightNow the big question for the NCP is simple how does it stay important in an alliance where bigger parties are always ready to take over any empty spaceWith weak leadership confusion among workers and no clear centre the party could slowly lose its place In Maharashtra parties do not always disappear slowly they often break split or get pushed aside once their main support collapsesBut the impact will not stop with the NCP alone Pawarrsquos presence also helped keep balance inside the Mahayuti He ensured that the alliance was not controlled by only one power centre He acted like a counterweight stopping the BJP from becoming the only dominant force With him gone the balance shifts strongly in one direction and the BJPrsquos control becomes harder to challengeThis puts Eknath Shindersquos Shiv Sena under more pressure Shindersquos faction has been fighting not just elections but also a bigger fight for legitimacy after the Sena split His politics has depended on careful alliance management where each partner had some bargaining power Pawarrsquos presence gave Shinde shared space and support inside the coalitionWithout that Shinde may find himself pushed into a smaller corner His ability to negotiate within the alliance could reduce as the BJP grows stronger In such coalitions the smaller partner often has to struggle just to protect its spaceAnd this is where the biggest winner becomes clear mdash the BJPThe BJP has always been the most organised and ambitious force within the Mahayuti Unlike its partners it does not wait for opportunities it creates them It expands through elections strong organisation and control over political narrative Even when Pawar was still part of the alliance both the NCP and Shindersquos Sena often had to compete with the BJP not just cooperate with itThis tension has been seen on the ground many times In civic and municipal elections the BJP has expanded even at the cost of its own allies In Maharashtra alliances are often based on need not friendshipAnd the BJPrsquos longterm goal has remained clear to become the single strongest force not just one among equalsThe BJPrsquos steady rise in western Maharashtra once firmly NCP territory reflects this larger planAjit Pawarrsquos exit then is more than the loss of one leader It shows how quickly Maharashtrarsquos political equations can change One departure can weaken one party unsettle an ally and strengthen another all at the same time Coalitions work only when power is shared With Pawar gone that balance is disturbed and the BJP is best placed to tighten its gripThe coming years will show whether the NCP can rebuild without its strongest leader whether Shinde can protect his political space and how far the BJP will go in expanding its dominance across MaharashtraBecause in Maharashtrarsquos politics the real question is not only who leaves The real question is who will step in next and take over the space left behindSanjeev Shivadekar is political editor midday He tweets SanjeevShivadekSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper