Though the NCP has built up some presence in over a dozen Indian states, the stark reality is that all the votes and seats in assembly and parliament it managed to garner so far, are only from Pawar's home state.
Fortunately for him, the NCP has a strong grassroots base, especially in western Maharashtra which has generally stood by the Congress-NCP, besides acceptability across all sections of society.
Now, it is time for the storm-battered, seasoned Pawar to pass the baton to the gen-next in the party and become the NCP's pater familias.
He has already taken the first step by opting for Rajya Sabha - but continues to be NCP's star campaigner in the current elections hoping to better the UPA's tally here.
Pawar even shared the dais with Sonia Gandhi last week to jointly combat the saffron forces which threaten to damage the Congress-NCP citadel in the state this time.
