Responding to Sharad Pawar’s appeal for the Andheri (E) bypoll to be held unopposed, Shiv Sena party president Uddhav Thackeray said the NCP chief had shown the “real culture of politics in Maharashtra” and his party would always be grateful to him.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s request to the BJP to withdraw its candidate is a significant development considering the fact that the bypoll is a testing ground before the BMC election for both the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), which is backed by Congress and NCP, and BJP supported by the Eknath Shinde-led Balasahebanchi Shi v Sena.
According to political analysts, MNS’s absence in the bypoll may help Uddhav’s candidate as Raj’s party mainly targets the same segment of voters as Shiv Sena by raising the son s-of-the-soil issue.
The bypoll has been necessitated due to sitting Sena MLA Ramesh Latke’s death in May. While Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has fielded the late MLA’s widow Rutuja, BJP has nomi nated Patel.
Maharashtra BJP chief said party won’t contest Andheri East Assembly bypoll; to withdraw nomination of Murji Patel.
