Hyderabad, Jan. 30 -- Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president after John Kennedy's assassination on the very aircraft the slain leader's body, as per the US laws governing presidential succession. Rajiv Gandhi was made the prime minister, plucking him out of the air, as it were, with the Constitution being set aside. In both cases urgency was a factor.

In Ajit Pawar's case, there is no such contingency but the political ramifications of his death in an air crash in Maharashtra's Baramati on Wednesday, January 28, has triggered informed speculation and also by the man on the street. This started even before his body's post-mortem commenced. There are several strands worth looking at and each has its significance.

Before the Nationalist ...