In Big Win for Team Uddhav, BJP Withdraws Andheri Bypoll Candidate After Raj Thackeray’s Request

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to withdraw its candidate in the Andheri East bypoll. BJP had pitted Murji Patel for the election against Rujuta Latke of Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction had did not fielded its candidate and decided to back Murji Patel.

This came after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackery urged the BJP not to contest the East Andheri bypoll in reverence to late Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, who died of a cardiac arrest in May this year.

The polling will take place on November 3 and votes will be counted on November 6.

?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,? Maharashtra party chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said in Nagpur.

The seat fell vacant due to the untimely demise of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke. His widow Rutuja Latke is contesting as a candidate of Shiv Sena ? Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray.

The result of this bypoll, which will be the first major electoral contest in the state after Shinde’s rebellion brought down the previous Maharashtra government led by Uddhav Thackeray in June this year, will set the tone for the coming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.

A spokesperson of Uddhav Thackeray faction said that the BJP decided to pull back from the contest as they were scared of losing.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had also sought the unopposed election of Rutuja Latke in the bypoll. Latke was a BMC employee and resigned from her post before filing the nomination for the bypoll.

Seven Assembly seats across six states will go to polls on November 3. Bye-elections will be held in Andheri East in Maharashtra, Mokama and Gopalganj in Bihar, Adampur in Haryana, Munugode in Telangana, Gola Gokrannath in Uttar Pradesh, and Dhamnagar in Odisha.

The Election Commission has decided to use EVMs and VVPATs in the bye-elections in all the polling stations.

Read all the Latest Politics News and Breaking News here