Every few months, the political arena in Maharashtra ignites with the buzz of Ajit Pawar – leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly and nephew of Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar – changing sides to the BJP. Though this speculation has constantly occupied the political space in Maharashtra since 2014, it has picked up some kind of legitimacy after the nephew’s pre-dawn oath-taking for government formation with Devendra Fadnavis in November 2019. That government lasted barely three days but the trust deficit and erosion of credibility sits heavily on Ajit Pawar’s shoulders.