BJP withdraws candidate in Andheri East Assembly bypoll

Mumbai: The BJP on Monday pulled out its candidate from Andheri East Assembly bypoll, hours before the deadline for withdrawal of nominations ended.

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule’s announcement of withdrawal followed an appeal by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray, who wrote to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asking the ruling party to pull out from the bypoll arena.

BJP’s Murji Patel, who withdrew his nomination papers on Monday, was pitted against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction's candidate Rutuja Latke, whose husband’s death in May this year necessitated the bypoll.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had also appealed to all parties to ensure that Rutuja Latke was elected unopposed.

With Patel pulling out, her victory in the November 3 elections is a mere formality.

Reacting to the BJP's announcement, Rutuja Latke said she was indebted to everyone who worked to make this election an uncontested battle.

Pawar on Sunday sought the unopposed election of Rutuja Latkel, while Raj Thackeray had appealed to Fadnavis not to field BJP's nominee to show reverence to late Ramesh Latke.

"The BJP has decided not to contest the Andheri East bypoll,” Bawankule told reporters in Nagpur. “We could have otherwise won the election," he added.

Rutuja Latke said many political leaders like Raj Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Sena faction's Pratap Sarnaik appealed to the BJP to withdraw its nomination. “I thank them. I will meet our leader Uddhav Thackeray for the next course of action,” she added.

NCP state president Jayant Patil said, “The state government tried harassing Rutuja Latke. The BMC administration first delayed accepting her resignation, made her approach the Bombay High Court and also claimed that there were corruption charges against her. The BJP even tried freezing Sena's symbol and the name.” “BJP and Shinde faction may have realised that they would face a very humiliating defeat against Latke. We appreciate that better sense prevailed finally,” he said.

State Congress president Nana Patole said, “Pawar and Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar are contesting BCCI elections jointly. Pawar's appeal to make Assembly bypoll unopposed could be linked to that election.” Patel said, “I will follow the party's decision and will not contest the bypoll as an independent.”