MUMBAI: The four-year-old Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) appears to be heading for a major crisis after what's believed to be a 40-strong group of NCP legislators led by Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government.

MVA, which had a strength of 165 MLA when Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister, has been reduced to 74 - Congress 44, UBT Shiv Sena 16, and NC.Read AlsoSupreme irony for Sena camp as their 'tormentor' returns to cabinetNCP leader Ajit Pawar's induction in the Eknath Shinde-helmed state cabinet couldn't be more ironic.

Shinde and the 39 MLAs, who raised a rebellion in the Shiv Sena, had last year blamed Ajit Pawar, as the then finance minister, of not allocating funds for their constituencies.

Moreover, they hadEnd of road for Sharad Pawar or a new trick up his sleeve?Sharad Pawar faces the task of rebuilding NCP, but some speculate the rebellion may have had his blessings, similar to the 'googly' he admitted to orchestrating in 2019.Maharashtra: Devendra Fadnavis delivers yet again for BJP bossesDevendra Fadnavis once again proved he is the man his party turns to in the state when it is in dire straits.

With recent surveys showing the MVA was likely to win more seats than the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, BJP was keen to engineer a split in the MVA, and Fadnavis delivered.

HisAjit Pawar shows control over rank and file in latest revoltOnce seen as Sharad Pawar's political heir, Ajit Pawar faced a series of setbacks and sidelining within NCP.

While some speculate that cases against the seven-term MLA powered his rebellions, the root of his latest discontent can be traced back to earlier times.Also See: Ajit Pawar News LiveAfter the 2019 assembly elections, when Fadnavis failed to form the government, Sharad Pawar had taken the lead in aligning with Congress and Shiv Sena and formed the MVA.

For two-and-a-half years, it worked well before Eknath Shinde raised a banner of revolt against the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray.

Then with the support of 40 Shiv Sena legislators, Shinde joined hands with Fadnavis and took oath as the CM.In the recent past though, BJP nominees were defeated in crucial elections to the Legislative Council and in the Pune assembly by-election.

At a time when it appeared that MVA would not be able to perform well in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, it got a boost with BJP's defeat in the Karnataka elections.Following its landslide win in Karnataka, when Congress commissioned a survey for Maharashtra Lok Sabha and assembly elections, the results suggested that the MVA could win 38 LS and 180 assembly seats.

But now, with the exit of 40 Shiv Sena legislators and an equal number of NCP leaders, MVA has lost its significance.

"Certainly, the very existence of MVA is under threat.

We are not sure if we will contest the elections jointly,'' a senior NCP leader said.Congress legislature party leader Balasaheb Thorat said the rebellion by Shinde and Ajit Pawar notwithstanding, MVA will mobilise support of people at the grassroots level and defeat the Shinde-Fadnavis combine.

"Look at the political history, defectors have never been re-elected by the voters," he said.MPCC president Nana Patole on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the BJP, saying it has formed an alliance with the same Ajit Pawar who was accused of being involved in a Rs 70,000-crore scam by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi just a few days ago."The people of Maharashtra are watching the political developments with open eyes.

The game of musical chairs will destroy democracy and the Constitution," he said.

Patole said BJP has taken several anti-democratic steps in the recent past since its base is steadily weakening.

The landslide victory of Congress in Karnataka has made the BJP restless, he added.