India, Feb. 19 -- When (an undivided) Shiv Sena walked away from its three-decade old alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019 to form the government with its traditional political rivals, Congress and (an undivided) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the BJP termed the move a deception. This however set in motion similar possibilities for the future - Sena's split, following which the Shinde-led faction joined hands with BJP, followed by a similar split in NCP facilitating the Ajit Pawar-led faction of the party joining hands with the then Mahayuti government led by Shinde "for the state's development".

This new normal in the political game of chess hit its peak during the local body polls, held after eight years, recently ...