BJP eyes chances in Western Maharashtra after the Pawars

The death of Ajit Pawar has unsettled western Maharashtra, leaving the BJP cautiously biding its time Pune: Western Maharashtra has long been Indian politics in miniature: dense with sugar cooperatives, caste arithmetic, money and muscle power. For decades it was shaped by one extended family – the Pawars - whose writ ran from district banks to dairy unions and from assembly halls to village panchayats. The sudden death of Ajit Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) strongman and...

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BJP eyes chances in Western Maharashtra after the Pawars

The death of Ajit Pawar has unsettled western Maharashtra, leaving the BJP cautiously biding its time Pune: Western Maharashtra has long been Indian politics in miniature: dense with sugar cooperatives, caste arithmetic, money and muscle power. For decades it was shaped by one extended family – the Pawars - whose writ ran from district banks to dairy unions and from assembly halls to village panchayats. The sudden death of Ajit Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) strongman and Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, has jolted this ecosystem. The aftershocks are being felt most keenly not by his rivals, but by his ally, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that has long coveted the region. Maharashtra’s politics has always been regionally segmented. The BJP is entrenched in north Maharashtra; it has broken through spectacularly in Mumbai, including wresting control of the municipal corporation; Vidarbha remains Congress-leaning while Marathwada is competitive and volatile. Family Bastion Western Maharashtra, by contrast, has remained been the Pawars’ citadel. Control over cooperatives, especially sugar, has translated into rural loyalty, financial muscle and electoral dominance. The NCP, founded by Sharad Pawar, thrived on this architecture. The BJP, despite its national rise, has struggled to crack it. Rather than dislodge the system, the BJP sought to co-opt it. Disaffected satraps were inducted like Udayanraje Bhosale in Satara; the Mahadiks in Kolhapur; the Mohite-Patils in Solapur. Local strongmen such as Rahul Kul in Pune district were elevated and veterans like Harshvardhan Patil were brought in, if only briefly. The idea was to gradually bleed the undivided NCP led by patriarch Sharad Pawar. That effort has intensified as the BJP eyes an audacious goal: returning to power in Maharashtra on its own in the 2029 Assembly election. For that to happen, western Maharashtra is indispensable. It is no accident that the Modi government had created a new Union ministry of cooperation, handing it to Amit Shah. Cooperatives are the region’s political bloodstream. After the 2024 general election, Muralidhar Mohol, elected from Pune, was made minister of state in the same department. He was also informally tasked with western Maharashtra in a clear signal of the BJP’s strategic focus. Mohol’s brief was daunting: contain both Pawars. Sharad Pawar’s stature as a national deal-maker and Ajit Pawar’s grip on local machinery made them a formidable duo even when divided. Yet, the recent municipal contests in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad hinted at change. When both Pawars campaigned together, the BJP still managed to defeat them, suggesting that the old formula no longer guaranteed victory. Uncertain Times Then came the plane crash on January 28 leading to Ajit Pawar’s tragic death. His wife, Sunetra Pawar, was sworn in as deputy chief minister, an act of continuity intended to steady the ranks. While public sympathy is palpable, it has nothing to do with organisation. Sunetra Pawar will need time to command the networks her husband once ran by instinct. Her early gestures like visiting Karad to pay homage to Yashwantrao Chavan and invoking the legacy of Phule, Shahu and Ambedkar signal an attempt to anchor the party in its progressive tradition. Whether that rhetoric can substitute for Ajit Pawar’s authority is uncertain. Uncertainty abounds elsewhere too. Rumours swirl of a rapprochement or even a merger between the rival NCP factions. One scenario has Supriya Sule entering the Union cabinet. Another asks a more existential question: could Sharad Pawar, architect of Maharashtra’s secular, centrist politics, ever align formally with the BJP’s Hindutva project? His reported unease with a recent India–America trade agreement has fuelled speculation among supporters already anxious about ideological drift. Against this haze, the BJP’s restraint is striking. Rather than rushing to exploit the moment, it has preferred to wait and watch. The party knows that western Maharashtra is not won in a season. Cooperative elections, local bodies and caste coalitions move slowly. For now, the BJP is content to let the Pawars recalibrate, to allow factions to test their strength, and to intervene only when the contours are clearer. In a region where politics has long been about inheritance, Ajit Pawar’s absence has exposed how fragile even the most entrenched systems can be. The BJP senses opportunity, but is also aware of the attendant risks. Its wait-and-watch posture reflects a calculation born of experience. And in western Maharashtra, patience can be a weapon.

Good Work Isn’t Enough

Divyaa Advaani
Jun 6, 2025
3 min read

Sales. The one word that sends shivers down the spine of even the most skilled professionals. You could be a phenomenal designer, a genius strategist, or a brilliant consultant—but when it comes to selling yourself or your services, suddenly the confidence evaporates. Sound familiar? You're not alone.

Many entrepreneurs and professionals struggle with the idea of self-promotion. It feels pushy, salesy, and sometimes even uncomfortable. And yet, no matter how great your product or service is, if you can’t sell it — or more importantly, if people don’t see it—your business won’t grow. That’s where personal branding becomes your best friend, your secret weapon, and your silent salesperson.

We often assume that good work will automatically bring in more work. To an extent, that’s true. Referrals and word-of-mouth can do wonders when you’ve consistently delivered excellence. But in today’s noisy digital world, relying only on referrals is like hoping someone passes your resume to the hiring manager instead of you emailing it directly. It might work. But it might not.

Personal branding is the bridge between your expertise and your income. It's what turns a name into a known name, a service into a sought-after experience, and a skill into a story people remember. Think about the brands you love — Apple, Nike, Tata. Their products are good, sure. But it's their branding that keeps them on top. People don’t just buy products — they buy into a story, a belief, a personality. The same goes for individuals.

When you brand yourself with clarity, consistency, and confidence, you attract clients without begging for their attention. You position yourself as a leader in your space. People come to you because they already feel like they know, trust, and respect you — even before they’ve worked with you. That’s not luck. That’s strategy.

Here's the good news. You don’t need to scream to sell. You just need to show up with intention. Personal branding doesn’t mean being everywhere. It means being where it matters, saying what matters, and doing it in a way that’s aligned with who you are. And when that alignment happens — clients don’t just buy from you. They remember you. They refer you. They return to you.

Too many people shy away from showing their face, their process, or their success because they don’t want to seem boastful. But here’s the truth: staying invisible doesn’t serve you or the people you’re meant to help. There’s someone right now struggling with something you’ve already solved — but they don’t know you exist. That’s not humility. That’s a missed opportunity.

It’s time to stop hiding and start owning your expertise. You don’t need to be a loud extrovert. You just need to be visible and valuable. That’s what great personal branding does — it transforms your business from one that chases leads to one that magnetically attracts the right ones.

And if you’re someone who’s genuinely excellent at what you do but find it difficult to talk about yourself or your work, I get it. That’s exactly why I do what I do. I help business owners and professionals like you build powerful personal brands that speak even when you’re not in the room. Brands that 5x your revenue without compromising your authenticity.

Here’s the exciting part: I’m currently onboarding only 2 high-end clients before the month ends. If you’re ready to finally stop hoping for business and start attracting it—this is your sign.

Let’s craft a personal brand that makes your sales effortless and your success inevitable.

Connect with me over:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/divyaaadvaani

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suaveu6

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@suaveu

(The author is a personal branding expert. She has clients from 14+ countries. Views personal.)