The remark has upset alliance partner NCP led by Pawar, who openly admonished and distanced his party from the hardline Hindutva advocated by the right-wing BJP.

With less than a week left for the November 20 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, the opposing views of the state's two Deputy Chief Ministers—Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar—on the slogan ‘batenge to katenge’ have sparked speculations about a division within the Mahayuti Alliance.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis defended Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's controversial 'batenge toh katenge' slogan, arguing that it promotes unity. His statement came after criticism from opposition leaders and even his alliance partner,

Devendra Fadnavis took the blame for the Lok Sabha loss and said that he failed to counter the opposition’s anarchist and ultra Leftist narrative.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath's clarion call for unity among Hindus with the slogan 'Katenge to Batenge' has saprked a divide with the Maha Yuti Alliance in Maharashtra.