The BJP has not been able to fill the void left by Pramod Mahajan. There is a strong feeling among the BJP leaders that the Sena has taken them for granted.

The saffron partners have been at loggerheads over issues like SEZs. As an opposition party, the Sena has always targetted the Congress more than the NCP. The Sena supported Pawar’s daughter, Supriya Sule, for Rajya Sabha, for instance.

So, with the possibility of a snap poll on the horizon, the Sena is uncomfortable with its ally of 22 years, the BJP, and a similar discomfort is to be found in the secular alliance on the other side. The demand to take action on the recommendations of the Srikrishna Commission has only stoked these tensions further.

The moment may be ripe, in the foreseeable future, for a re-alignment in the secular and saffron camps. Will the Sena and NCP — parties that have much in common, including their leadership pattern and their views on Sonia’s nationality, besides Pawar’s friendship with Thackeray — come together formally? Will the BJP seek the support of Raj’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), in case its alliance with the Shiv Sena breaks?