Why BJP withdrew candidate in Andheri by-poll after Raj Thackeray's request

Mumbai: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Monday, pulled out its candidate from Mumbai’s Andheri East bypoll contest scheduled on 3 November. The party had earlier pitted Murji Patel against the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction’s candidate Rutuja Latke, whose husband, Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke’s death in May this year necessitated the bypoll.

Patel was the joint candidate of the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction in Maharashtra. He withdrew his nomination papers today, hours before the deadline.

Maharashtra BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule today said that the party has decided not to contest the bypoll and Murji Patel, who has filed the nomination, will withdraw it.

“We could have otherwise won the election,” Bawankule said, adding that the BJP had previously also not contested some of the bypolls.

Andheri bypoll now a mere formality

With BJP pulling out of the Andheri bypoll, Thackeray’s candidate for the seat, Rutuja Latke’s victory in the 3 November is a mere formality.

Why BJP withdrew its candidate from Andheri bypoll?

Giving details as to why BJP withdrew its candidate, BJP’s Maharashtra in-charge CT Ravi today said that there has been a tradition in the state to let the kin of a deceased elected representative contesting a seat be elected unopposed.

“After other parties requested, we deliberated and made a decision accordingly,” Ravi added.

Did BJP’s decision come after Raj Thackeray’s request?

On Sunday, MNS chief Raj Thackeray urged BJP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis not to field a candidate for 3 November bypoll for the Andheri (East) Assembly seat in Mumbai. He said if BJP does not contest this bypoll, it will send a good message to society.

“There is a difference between Maharashtra and other states when such situations arise,” Raj Thackeray was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Notably, MNS will also not be contesting the Andheri by-election to show its reverence for the deceased legislator.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar has also sought the unopposed election of Rutuja Latke.

Rutuja Latke reacts to BJP’s decision

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

She said many political leaders including 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,” Latke added.

With inputs from agencies

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