Mumbai: BJP decides to withdraw candidate from Andheri East assembly bypoll

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to withdraw its candidate from the November 3 assembly by-election in Mumbai’ Andheri East, party’ Maharashtra state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Monday after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena MLA from Eknath Shinde faction, Pratap Sarnaik sought unopposed election of Rutuja Latke from the seat to show reverence to her husband and the deceased MLA, Ramesh Latke.

“The BJP has decided not to contest the Andheri East bypoll. Murji Patel, who had filed the nomination from the BJP, will now withdraw it. We could have otherwise won the election,” Bawankule said in Nagpur. “The BJP had previously also not contested some of the bypolls,” he added.

Monday is the last day for withdrawal of nominations for the bypoll, necessitated due to the death of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke in May this year. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction has fielded Latke’s wife Rutuja Latke in the by-election.

Raj Thackeray in his letter to deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday appealed to withdraw the BJP candidate as a respect to the deceased. While Fadnavis said the party will contemplate on this, surprisingly Shinde faction MLA Pratap Sarnaik too made a similar appeal.

Sarnaik said that there has always been a unique political tradition in Maharashtra politics, whenever a politician dies, his family members are elected unopposed.

“Latke was in Dubai in May along with his family when he suffered a heart attack leading to his demise. Our common friend and hotelier Raj Shetty who was in Dubai had called me to inform about the demise and it was a huge shock for me. He was a very close friend of mine. Latke, MLA Sunil Raut and I would usually have lengthy discussion on various issues to be addressed in the assembly sessions. He was passionate about his duties as an MLA,” he said in a letter to chief minister Eknath Shinde.

“There is a unique age old tradition in Maharashtra politics, if a sitting politician died we ensure his family wins unopposed in the by-polls. The seat though is contesting by BJP with whom we are in alliance, Shinde as the CM should discuss with the senior BJP leaders and request them to withdraw the candidature. This will be our tribute to the deceased and his family,” he added.

(With PTI inputs)