In a veiled attack on Maharashtra BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, his senior party colleague Eknath Khadse on Wednesday said that some people, who joined politics only 15 years ago, were now trying to teach politicians like him. He was speaking during a function at Jalgaon in north Maharashtra on the occasion of his 68th birthday. "When BJP-Shiv Sena contested the 2014 state assembly elections separately, our efforts helped the party (BJP) come close to absolute majority. However, those who came into politics in the last 15 years are now trying to teach us," he said.

"People certainly did not like the assertion of 'I will come back'," Khadse said. During the assembly elections held in October last year, Fadnavis, who was then the chief minister, had repeatedly used 'Mi punha yein' (I will come back) slogan as part of his poll campaign. The BJP and the Sena, which had fought the 2019 state
polls in alliance, had secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively. The Sena, however, broke its three-decade-long ties with the BJP after the latter declined to share the chief minister's post.