Is Sharad Pawar BJP's new friend with benefits?

Is this the blatant "Pawar play" Maharashtra was waiting to see?

Putting all jokes and puns aside, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has suddenly assumed a lot of importance in Maharashtra's current political discourse.

Just after the Shiv Sena announced that it has snapped all ties with the BJP (for the upcoming local body polls), Pawar hinted that his party might not be averse to support the BJP-led government in the state and at the Centre. While political observers are questioning the timing of Narendra Modi government's Padma Vibhushan award (read reward) to the NCP chief, Pawar's latest statement kind of solved the riddle.

But one thing is for sure, the man has always managed to keep a sense of mystery alive around his next political move. This time too Pawar is trying his best to keep his cards close to his chest.

The NCP till last year ruled out offering support to the BJP if the Shiv Sena pulls out from the government. Now, he says he is waiting for the BJP to make the first move. "We will see when the time comes. Let them first come to us... Let Sena withdraw its the support first,” Pawar recently told reporters.

That he has kept all options open was evident from the fact that the NCP chief never believed in burning bridges. He has been consistently sharing the dais with Narendra Modi in the recent past even at the cost of facing criticism from party colleagues, who are not particularly fond of the BJP as well as the prime minister.

Meanwhile, political observers in Maharashtra are also not ruling out the possiblity of Pawar getting used by the BJP to rattle the confidence of the Shiv Sena.

Pawar, on the other hand, knows it well that joining hands with the BJP might prove dangerous for his "secular" image. But for a man who has never shied away from changing his stance, this could be just another "Pawar stroke" ahead of the BMC polls.

Also read: Why Mumbai has suddenly become so important for BJP