It is true that the NCP formally split and that Ajit Pawar took control of the original party, aligning with the BJP both in the state and at the Centre. But it is equally true that, unlike the Shiv Sena, the NCP never truly fractured at the grassroots. Across both factions, there remained camaraderie, tacit cooperation, and within the Pawar family itself, a sense of normalcy. Sharad Pawar effectively allowed one group to support the ruling BJP while he led another aligned with the INDIA bloc.