In keeping with the political traditions of Maharashtra, MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday not only extended his party’s support to the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena’s candidate Rutuja Latke but also made an unusual request to the ruling BJP not to field its nominee against her in the Andheri (East) Assembly by-poll scheduled for November 3.
Hours after BJP leader Asish Shelar met him and requested him to support his party’s nominee Murji Patel in the November 3 by-poll, the MNS chief shot off a letter to Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and senior State BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, urging the latter not to put up his party’s (BJP’s) candidate against the Opposition Shiv Sena MLA Rutuja Latke in the by-poll.
The Andheri (East) by-poll has been necessitated by sitting Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke’s death. Rutuja Latke is the widow of Ramesh Latke who passed away on May 11 this year. 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.
In the by-poll Rutuja is taking on the BJP’s Murji Patel, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Assembly poll from Andheri (east) constituency as an independent candidate. Patel subsequently joined the BJP which has now fielded him as its candidate.
The Opposition NCP and Congress, which are part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), have extended their support to Rutuja.
Addressing Fadnavis as “My dear friend Devendra” in his letter and asking him not to field the BJP’s candidate in the by-poll, the MNS chief wrote: “Ramesh ( Latke) was an efficient worker who began his journey up from being a shakha pramukh.
I have witnessed his journey and growth in the political arena.