A massive 'outgoing' from his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) notwithstanding, it will be premature to write off Sharad Pawar's political acumen that is known to spring surprises and resurrect his band of satraps. These satraps have been part of NCP for two decades and have stayed loyal to the boss even before the formation of the new party, which has shaped their political careers that are now in danger because of the BJP's ruthless poaching. The Shiv Sena has joined the hunt, aiming a sharpened arrow at NCP leaders, bagging some and eyeing big ones like Chhagan Bhujbal and Manohar Naik.

Many NCP leaders and sitting public representatives have switched over to BJP in the past four months. While BJP is their first choice for obvious reasons, Sena remains a second option for those who cannot fit the Narendra-Devendra development zone for rehabilitation. In some instances, BJP has advised turncoats to join Sena. The purpose behind this seems to be securing as many Assembly seats in the October polls in situations where BJP and Sena get together or fight separately to join hands after election results.