While BJP and RSS leaders kept an official silence about the latest misfortune to hit the party, in private conversations there was an outpouring of anger and dismay at the manner in which the late Mahajan’s ‘‘lifestyle-related disorders’’ were unravelling for the world to see.

“Their lifestyle was no secret in party circles. They hung around with the Mumbai fast set, loved to party, and were known to indulge in alcohol and other substances. Their contacts knew they had money and they knew their weaknesses—so anything may have happened last night,” said a BJP national executive member.

Even if there is no link between Mahajan’s murder and Maitra’s death, the many detractors of the late BJP leader see them as part of a larger narrative. ‘‘Pramod’s lifestyle is definitely responsible for the aberration of his son and aide,’’ a party insider said, pointing out that Mahajan had always turned a blind eye to Rahul’s ‘‘wayward ways’’ and given absolute power to Maitra in exchange of his absolute loyalty.

A Mumbaikar whose family moved from West Bengal to Maharashtra generations ago, Maitra revelled in the Bengali passion for ‘adda.’ Growing up in King’s Circle, in Mumbai’s Matunga, Maitra—against his father’s wishes—was drawn to the RSS and BJP and became a BJP Yuva Morcha activist in the 1980s.

Since he was good at English—something rare in the ranks of the Maharashtra BJP at the time—he caught the attention of his seniors. When the Shiv Sena-BJP came to power in 1995, he became deputy CM Gopinath Munde’s key aide and then moved with Mahajan to Delhi.

As Mahajan’s clout grew, so did Maitra’s. ‘‘He was the only person who Pramod trusted completely. He enjoyed so much clout that even Rekha bhabhi used to call him to find out her husband’s whereabouts,’’ an old-timer said, recalling Pravin Mahajan’s bitter comment that even his elder brother’s PA had become a crorepati. The anti-Mahajan group also harboured deep misgivings about the attempts being made to anoint Rahul Mahajan as his political successor. Just days ago, Rahul met his father’s party colleagues on the sidelines of the national executive, sparking off speculation that he was looking at a youth-wing post.

A prominent party leader from Maharashtra within earshot from him is said to have remarked: “He? A BJP leader? No way...He has all the minus points of his father and none of his merits.’’ In fact, senior BJP leaders felt far more comfortable getting his mother Rekha on board. She was offered membership of the Maharashtra Legislative Council which she declined. She was receptive to a Rajya Sabha berth and BJP president Rajnath Singh contacted NCP president Sharad Pawar and Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh for help. Both sounded “sympathetic” but the move was shelved after the Congress leadership refused to support it.

-manini.chatterjee@expressindia.com