MUMBAI: After MNS chief Raj Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and an MLA from CM Eknath Shinde‘s group on Sunday sought an unopposed bypoll for the Andheri East assembly constituency, BJP got its candidate Murji Patel to withdraw from the fray on Monday, the last day for withdrawing nominations.
Though the bypoll will still be held as only 7 of 14 candidates have withdrawn their nominations, this means the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) nominee Rutuja Latke gets a walkover for the November 3 bypoll which was necessitated by death of her husband Ramesh Latke.
Political observers said BJP’s decision may have been determined by the worry of lending prestige to a bypoll whose outcome, in case it went in favour of Uddhav Sena in the form of sympathy votes, would have affected the BJP-Shinde faction alliance’s prospects for the forthcoming – and much more crucial – BMC polls. Analysts said the withdrawal also indicated that the Shinde group, too, wasn’t confident of a win. It has little electoral clout in the constituency and essentially BJP was fighting the poll on its own might.
BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said,”BJP is prepared for this poll and we can secure the requisite number of votes and win. However, if an MLA has passed away and one of his relatives is contesting the poll, it’s Maharashtra’s tradition to allow the person to be elected unopposed. BJP has upheld this tradition numerous times,” he said.
A Sena member said BJP had expected Uddhav or ex-minister Aaditya Thackeray to reach out and make an appeal that the bypoll should be held unopposed. But since no such appeal was made, Raj Thackeray’s request, followed by Sharad Pawar’s appeal, could have been used by BJP for its ‘exit strategy.’
BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis said, “Party workers were of the opinion that we must fight. We were guaranteed a win, but some people, senior people, urged us…Raj Thackeray, Pawar…Some did it upfront and some from back door,” Fadnavis said.
Though the bypoll will still be held as only 7 of 14 candidates have withdrawn their nominations, this means the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) nominee Rutuja Latke gets a walkover for the November 3 bypoll which was necessitated by death of her husband Ramesh Latke.
Political observers said BJP’s decision may have been determined by the worry of lending prestige to a bypoll whose outcome, in case it went in favour of Uddhav Sena in the form of sympathy votes, would have affected the BJP-Shinde faction alliance’s prospects for the forthcoming – and much more crucial – BMC polls. Analysts said the withdrawal also indicated that the Shinde group, too, wasn’t confident of a win. It has little electoral clout in the constituency and essentially BJP was fighting the poll on its own might.
BJP state chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said,”BJP is prepared for this poll and we can secure the requisite number of votes and win. However, if an MLA has passed away and one of his relatives is contesting the poll, it’s Maharashtra’s tradition to allow the person to be elected unopposed. BJP has upheld this tradition numerous times,” he said.
A Sena member said BJP had expected Uddhav or ex-minister Aaditya Thackeray to reach out and make an appeal that the bypoll should be held unopposed. But since no such appeal was made, Raj Thackeray’s request, followed by Sharad Pawar’s appeal, could have been used by BJP for its ‘exit strategy.’
BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis said, “Party workers were of the opinion that we must fight. We were guaranteed a win, but some people, senior people, urged us…Raj Thackeray, Pawar…Some did it upfront and some from back door,” Fadnavis said.
