Five days before the women of the state get the first two instalments of the `Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana`, state BJP president Chandrasekhar Bawankule said that Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray feared a defeat in the Assembly elections, because of the huge popularity of the said scheme.

“Uddhav Thackeray foresees a defeat in the Assembly elections. And that is exactly why he is criticising this scheme and trying to make a joke around it,” said Bawankule on Monday. He informed that 25 lakh women of the state will be sending rakhis to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the day of Raksha Bandhan to express their gratitude for this scheme.