BJP withdraws candidate from Mumbai Assembly bypoll

Vibha Sharma

New Delhi, October 17

The BJP today withdrew its candidate Murji Patel from the Andheri (East) bypoll, clearing the way for Uddhav Thackeray-led Rutuja Latke to win unopposed.

“I would like to thank all party leaders and workers for supporting me. I will work for the welfare of the public,” said Rutuja, wife of late Shiv Sena leader Ramesh Latke.

Notably, MNS chief Raj Thackeray had written to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis requesting the BJP not to contest the bypoll.

Earlier, it was after a court’s intervention that Rutuja was able to file nomination, leading to much anger among Shiv Sainiks led by Uddhav Thackeray.

The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed the BMC to accept the resignation of its employee Rutuja.

The division Bench comprising Justices Nitin Jamdar and Sharmila Deshmukh asked the Mumbai civic body to issue an appropriate letter just before the last day for filing the nomination papers.

Rutuja had tendered her resignation on September 2 to contest the by-election necessitated by the death of her husband and Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke in May.

On October 3, she was told her letter was not in a proper format. She submitted a fresh resignation letter on the same day. On Wednesday, she moved the High Court seeking a direction to the BMC to accept her resignation. She said the delay was to prevent her from contesting the by-election.

Team Uddhav alleged BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal was under pressure from the ruling Eknath Shinde-BJP government not to accept the resignation and was dragging the matter so that she becomes ineligible to contest.

The Court said the use or non-use of discretion by the BMC Commissioner in taking a decision on the resignation, in this case, was ‘arbitrary’.

“She (Rutuja) is your (BMC) employee. You should be helping her out,” the Court told senior counsel Anil Sakhare, appearing for the BMC.