Few of the lakhs of BJP workers in the politically key state, trying to come to grips with the unexpected reverses in LS polls, would have found the statements to be problematic. However, if none of them is amused, it is because of the not-so-subtle message driven home and the backdrop of the feud that the party’s underwhelming performance has sparked.

He is a retired state govt official who ran for Parliament from Ahmednagar recently. While the major part of the open inquiry is being done by the Ahmednagar unit, a part was done by the ACB in Pune and the report has been sent to the ACB HQ in Mumbai. Puja has been recalled to the civil services training academy in Mussoorie over complaints about her certificates.

The report in the weekly ’Vivek’ has noted that public sentiments turned sharply against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following its 2023 alliance with the NCP that subsequently led to bad performance of the saffron party in the recent Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra.