The bypoll for the Andheri East seat in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly will prove to be a litmus test for both the CM Eknath Shinde-Bharatiya Janata Party combine and Uddhav Thackeray and allies.
The seat, which fell vacant due to the untimely demise of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, will now be contested between his widow Rutuja Latke (Shiv Sena — Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) and BJP candidate who Latke had defeated in the past, Murji Patel. The result of this bypoll will set the tone for the coming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
With the split in Shiv Sena still a fresh affair, both the sides will flex their muscles to show their strength.
On Friday, Rutuja Ramesh Latke filed her nomination after the Bombay High Court’s intervention made the Mumbai civic body accept her resignation. It was a show of strength where Thackeray’s son Aaditya and leaders of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) were present, along with hundreds of party workers. Meanwhile, Patel also filed his nomination. He will be the candidate of BJP-Shinde group.
THE TWISTS IN THE TALE
After a few twists and turns, both the sides came face-to-face on Friday. The seat, a Sena stronghold, is a prestige issue. The Shinde group used the bypoll as a matter of urgency to seek the party name – Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena and symbol (two swords and a shield) in front of the Election Commission. However, it hasn’t fielded a candidate and has instead supported BJP’s Patel. Patel was defeated by Latke during the 2019 election.
After initial speculations that Rutuja Latke would switch over to the Shinde group, high drama ensued over her resignation.
As an employee of the BMC, she had given her resignation letter after the decision to fight the polls. Days later, it was still in process. She then approached the Bombay High Court, which gave directions to accept it.
SYMPATHY FOR LATKE, THACKERAY
Ramesh Latke was a corporator from Andheri for several years, before being elected as the MLA in 2014. It is the BJP’s expectation that apart from its own strength, Shinde would help mobilise the Sena resources from the constituency. It has been a sore point for the BJP that Murji Patel, its favourite candidate, lost from there in the past.
This time, it is the sympathy wave for Rutuja Ramesh Latke and Uddhav Thackeray that will be a challenge for the BJP.
On the other hand, the Uddhav Thackeray group will have to consolidate its strength to counter the BJP’s strategic planning and Eknath Shinde’s grassroots reach.
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