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.

... contd.