Backroom boy who became BJP's public face
After the Lok Sabha elections, Mahajan changed his style of campaign. Photographs of him, rain-drenched in interior Maharashtra, speaking old-style and far removed from his India Shining cellphone text messages, made great headline material: 'Mr Hero on Ground Zero.'
The BJP's fortunes did not change; Mahajan's clout did not diminish. He remained the organiser, the showman, the eloquent orator who could disarm the harshest of critics. Vajpayee called him the BJP's Lakshman, a clear sign that the party veteran thought of Mahajan as the superior among equals, the long-race horse who would be the future BJP chief.
All that will have to change. And the BJP will have to find another leader who can fill in Mahajan's shoes: Of fundraiser, PR man, organiser and troubleshooter. A formidable task.
Also See: Who is Pravin Mahajan?
Photograph: Arun Patil