Hyderabad, May 12 -- A few questions first. If the two rival units of the Nationalist Congress Party, one led by the founder Sharad Pawar and another by nephew Ajit Pawar were to merge, what would be the political scene in Maharashtra? Would Ajit Pawar leave the government where he is a power-sharer and a deputy chief minister? Or because he is in power, would the founder's segment walk his political path and sink its political anti-BJP ideology?

These are not irrelevant questions because Sharad Pawar has shown his inclination towards a merger though such a thing happening is unsure yet. But talk and conduct do imply that the Sharad Pawar-led may not have any unhappiness in merging his faction with the Ajit Pawar-led grouping. In fact, S...