Mahayuti Loses Its Only Trusted Secular Face: What Ajit Pawar’s Passing Means for the Alliance

Pune: The passing of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has sent shockwaves across the state and triggered a leadership challenge within the Mahayuti alliance. Pawar was widely regarded as the figure who lent the alliance a balanced and secular image. With his absence, questions are emerging about whether Mahayuti can continue to connect with voters who have traditionally stayed away from BJP-led, hardline Hindutva politics.

Ajit Pawar’s political approach often relied on symbolism and careful messaging. A notable example was his deliberate choice not to visit the RSS memorial in Nagpur during the winter session of the Maharashtra Assembly. While senior BJP leaders and even some alliance partners made it a point to pay respects at the memorial of RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, Pawar and his party leaders consciously maintained their distance. This was not merely a formality but a clear political statement asserting limits against extremist ideologies.

Pawar’s ideological clarity became even more pronounced ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He openly criticized remarks like “batenge to katenge” (we will cut if provoked) made by BJP’s star campaigner and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. At a rally in Beed in November 2024, Pawar reassured minority communities that such divisive language would not be tolerated in Maharashtra, highlighting the state’s inclusive traditions and its heritage of saints, followers of Shivaji, Shahu, Phule, and Ambedkar.

Even during crises, Pawar’s role was significant. In March 2025, amid controversy over Aurangzeb’s mausoleum and subsequent communal tensions in Nagpur, he firmly stood for protecting all communities. Ten days after the unrest, at an event organized at the Islam Gymkhana in Mumbai, he emphasized that no harm should come to Muslims and called for vigilance against forces attempting to divide society.

With Ajit Pawar no longer in the picture, the Mahayuti alliance faces its greatest challenge yet: preserving the inclusive, secular image that had helped it build a broad voter base. How the alliance navigates this gap will be closely watched in the coming months.