The unexpected rift in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) set off a mini earthquake in not only Maharashtra politics but also sent aftershocks at a national level. Here are some key takeaways from Sunday's development:
Questions over opposition unity: Ajit Pawar leaving his uncle and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar high and dry to join the Eknath Shinde-led government has severely dented the opposition unity move of 15 parties, which took tentative steps with a meeting in Patna last month.
But even before Sunday's blow, the unity efforts were marred by differences among major players. Among them are the open hostility between AAP and Congress as well as the barbs exchanged between TMC and Congress in West Bengal.
In Kerala too, the Congress and the CPM do not see eye to eye. Ajit Pawar's move severely undercuts the unity efforts that opposition leaders hope will collectively pose a challenge to the Narendra Modi-led BJP in the 2024 general elections.
BJP resurgence in Maharashtra: Ajit Pawar's decision to join hands with BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena ensures that BJP is once again in the driver's seat in Maharashtra, after being briefly sidelined.
It is now in a position to create a formidable alliance, which can boost its stranglehold over the state during the Lok Sabha elections.
The development also all but ends any edge that the MVA comprising Uddhav Thackery-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar's NCP and the Congress had. The new alliance represents a formidable electoral control over different regions of Maharashtra.
Congress isolated: According to sources, Ajit Pawar's supporters were irked by Sharad Pawar and Supriya Sule sharing the stage with Rahul Gandhi in Patna and their willingness to accept his apex role.
This, and the spat between the Congress and powerful regional parties, raises the question of whether popular regional leaders will accept Gandhi's leadership in the opposition coalition.
Diminished role of Sharad Pawar: Long considered a wily politician who never failed to pull a rabbit out of the hat, it appears that he was outsmarted by the political play crafted by the BJP with the help of Ajit Pawar. This leaves him greatly weakened. His strategy and views will become clearer on Monday when he is scheduled to speak in public.