With the Eknath Shinde-led by “Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena” backing out the electoral fray, its ruling ally BJP fielded Murji Patel as its candidate against Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena’s candidate Rutuja Latke, wife of late Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, for the November 3 Andheri East Assembly by-poll
Despite having waged a battle before the Election Commission over the party’s name and its symbol for the by-poll, Shinde-led Shiv Sena let its ally BJP field Murji Patel -- who had contested the 2019 Assembly polls as an independent against Ramesh Latke in the 2019 Assembly polls and lost-- as its candidate.
A day after the Bombay High Court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to accept the resignation tendered by its employee Rutuja, the BMC relieved her from job as a clerk at around 11 am on Friday, prompting the latter to file her nomination for the Andheri (east) by-polls. Similarly . BJP’s Murji Patel filed his nomination for the by- poll.
Both the Shiv Sena-led MVA and BJP- Shinde-led Sena took out morchas in the city before filing their respective nominations. Today was the last day for filing of nominations.
The Andheri (East) by-poll has been necessitated by sitting Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Late’s death. Rutuja Latke is the widow of Ramesh Latke who passed away on May 11, 2022. Latke was a Shiv Sena MLA before the party split in June this year in the wake of rebellion by the MLAs led by current chief minister Eknath Shinde.
Informed sources in the Shinde-led“Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena” said that new party backed out of the electoral race as it did not have adequate party base in Andheri (East) constituency, that it feared whether it would be able to reach out its new party symbol to the electorate, that being the widow of sitting Ramesh Latke, Rutuja enjoyed sympathy among others and that it did not want to lose its maiden elections.
The NCP and Congress are supporting the Shiv Sena candidate. Aaditya Thackeray, leader of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena, said he was fully confident that Rutuja Latke would win the by-poll. There was pressure on the BMC not to accept her resignation. But, the high court;’s intervention helped matters.”
The BJP's Murji Patel and the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray party's Rutuja Latke on Friday filed nomination papers for the November 3 Andheri East Assembly byelection in the city.