"We will make sure he (Sharad Pawar) permanently retires from social and political arenas once the assembly polls results are out," thundered Patil at an election rally in Kolhapur.
Taking a swipe at the spate of defections and desertions from the beleagured NCP in recent months to the ruling combine, Patil said that "it would not be surprising if the gen-next of the influential Pawar family switch over to the BJP in the coming times".
Interestingly, the 78-year-old Sharad Pawar's grand-nephew Rohit Pawar is contesting from Karjat-Jamkhed Assembly seat in Ahmednagar district this time while Ajit Pawar's son Parth suffered an embarrassing defeat in the Maval Lok Sabha elections from Shiv Sena's Shrirang Barne.
The BJP chief's assertions were in sync with the party stance in which almost all top leaders including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have repeatedly taken jibes to "wipe out the influence of the Pawars in Maharashtra politics by 2024".
Unfazed by the targeting of the Pawar clan, the NCP with its ally Congress and other parties, have promised to dislodge the BJP-Sena government from power when the election results are announced on October 24.
Patil is contesting his maiden Assembly eletion from Kothrud (Pune) and was campaigning for the ally Shiv Sena nominee Prakashrao Abitkar who is seeking re-election from Radhanagari in Kolhapur.
( With inputs from IANS )