New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday withdrew its candidate for the Andheri (East) bypoll after leaders from across the political spectrum appealed to the party that the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena’s candidates Rutuja Latke should get elected unopposed.
“I would like to thank all party leaders and workers for supporting me. I will work for the welfare of the public,” Latke said. Latke is the widow of Ramesh Latke, the Shiv Sena legislator who represented the constituency until his death in May this year.
Announcing the BJP’s decision not to contest the November 3 bypoll, Maharashtra party chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Monday, “Murji Patel, who had filed the nomination from the BJP, will now withdraw it. We could have otherwise won the election. The BJP had previously also not contested some of the bypolls.”
Monday is the last day for the withdrawal of nominations for the Andheri East assembly bypoll.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday sought the unopposed election of Rutuja Latke in the bypoll. “It is better to let Rutuja (Latke) win unopposed. Contesting an election for the sake of 1.5 years is meaningless. It takes a heavy toll on all the candidates who contest assembly elections. It is better to avoid it this time,” said Pawar.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray had also appealed to Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis not to field the BJP’s nominee to show reverence to the late Ramesh Latke.
MLA Pratap Sarnaik of the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena – the Shinde faction – had also written to the chief minister, requesting him to not contest the bypoll against Rutuja, according to Indian Express.
(With PTI inputs)