MumbaiUddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena still does not officially have any candidate ahead of the Andheri East by-polls next month. On the other hand, Friday is the last date for nominations.
This hopeless scenario, unfortunately, is not by choice. Uddhav’s candidate Rutuja Latte is an employee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The civic body is apparently shying away from accepting Rutuja’s resignation.
After the term of the outgoing general body ended in March this year, the BMC is currently under a state-appointed administrator, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal. Earlier, the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena had ruled the municipality for 25 years.
The November 3 by-polls are a litmus test for the Thackeray-led party after the Shinde-led split in June.
Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT), as the party is now known following an interim order by the Election Commission earlier this week, dismissed the BMC’s action as a “pressure tactic” by Shinde’s government. Is.
UBT has condemned the government for starving a candidate, or worse, trying to get Rutuja in its fold.
Rutuja is the wife of former Shiv Sena MLA from Andheri East, Ramesh Latte. He died in May this year before the party split.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab said, “Rutuja Ramesh Latte should not be scared in any way. I have heard that Shinde group is pressurizing him to contest election as its candidate, but I believe that Ramesh Latke’s family is loyal to Shiv Sena. They will not succumb to pressure.”
“There are only two days left for filing nominations for the by-election, but his resignation is being deliberately not accepted so as to either prevent him from running or to pressurize him to contest as a rival candidate. We condemn it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rutuja Latke clarified that she will remain loyal to the Shiv Sena (UBT). Sharing a picture of herself and her late husband with Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray on Facebook, Latte said, “Amhi sadaiev uddhav balasaheb thackeray hancha soba ahot.” (We are always with Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray.)
Naresh Mhaske, leader of Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction, now known as “Balasahebunchi Shiv Sena”, said the party had nothing to do with Latke’s application. He said, ‘It is not right to blame us for everything every time. They should have understood the process and followed the rules.”
“All terms and conditions met, resignation should be accepted”
Parab said that Rutuja had first submitted his resignation last month, but it was not taken on record. Later he was told that his papers were not as per the format.
Rutuja resigned afresh on 3 October. As per the BMC rules, an outgoing employee has to serve a notice period of one month. “Since she could not serve the notice period of one month, she opted to deposit one month’s salary as per rules with the BMC,” Parab said.
Parab said he met BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal thrice and asked him to accept the resignation, but did not get a satisfactory reply. “I also asked him to give in writing the reason for not accepting the resignation so that we can take the next step, but he was not ready to do that either,” he said. They are clearly being pressurized,” Parab said.
When contacted, Chahal told ThePrint: “It is a work in progress. The rules allow a decision to be made in 30 days. He had applied on the evening of October 3, 2022. There is no question of any government pressure.
important by-election
The Andheri East by-poll is significant as it is the first test for all parties after the change in the state and the rebellion within the Shiv Sena.
In June, Shinde, a Shiv Sena MLA and minister, in a coup in the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, fell on his face. The MVA consisted of the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress.
The Shinde group then allied with the BJP to form the government in Maharashtra and was accompanied by Chief Minister and BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.
The Shinde faction, claiming to be the original Shiv Sena, approached the Election Commission and asked for the original “bow and arrow” emblem. In an interim order in a dispute between the two armies, the Election Commission gave them both new names and emblems – “Mashaal” (Flame of Torch) for Shiv Sena (UBT) and “Swords and Shield” for Shinde’s Balasahebunchi Shiv Sena. ,
The Congress and the NCP have already promised their support to the Shiv Sena (UBT) in the bypolls. Deputy CM Fadnavis on Wednesday Told BJP and Shinde group will also contest the bypolls as an alliance and will decide on the candidate soon.