Assembly Bypoll: Voting begins for Andheri (East) byelection

Mumbai: Polling started for byelection to the Andheri East Assembly constituency here at 7 am on Thursday.

This is the first Assembly election in Maharashtra after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government collapsed in June following a revolt by Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde.

Shinde subsequently became chief minister in alliance with the BJP.

Rutuja Latke, the candidate of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, is expected to win comfortably in the byelection after the BJP withdrew its nominee.

The election was necessitated due to the death of sitting Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, Rutuja Latke's husband, in May this year.

There are 2,71,502 registered voters in the constituency and 256 polling booths. Polling is being held from 7am to 6pm.

There are a total of seven candidates in the fray. Barring Latke, all are independents.

Counting of votes will be held on November 6.