Mumbai: Mission accomplished, Shinde-BJP alliance beats tactical retreat

The BJP had lined up all its strength in support of its candidate Murji Patel who filed his nomination amid much fanfare. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday withdrew its candidate for the Andheri East bypoll, ensuring a big win for Thackeray Sena's Rutuja Latke. However, the move has caused the Thackeray Sena a massive loss of the parent party's name and symbol that appeared to be a significant gain for the ruling parties in the election process that was necessitated by the death of the unified Sena's MLA Ramesh Latke in May.

Before a dramatic twist on Sunday and Monday, the Andheri case had turned out to be very different and was set to be a very close battle. The Shinde Sena projected as if it was prepared to enter the electoral field against the Thackeray Sena. It urged the Election Commission of India to prevent the misuse of the parent party's symbol and name while the factions have been fighting a legal battle for the control of the party. The EC froze the symbol - bow and arrow - and asked the factions to pick new names and symbols. The decision has been resented by the Thackeray Sena. Later, instead of the ally, the BJP set up its candidate against the deceased legislator's widow Rutuja Latke, who had to approach the High Court to get her resignation approved by her employer, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Rutuja Latke with Thackeray Sena's Aaditya Thackeray, during the filing of her nomination last week. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The BJP's decision came after MNS president Raj Thackeray wrote a letter to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday. NCP chief Sharad Pawar endorsed Raj's appeal citing his party's back-out in similar instances. Shinde Sena legislator Pratap Sarnaik asked his boss, CM Eknath Shinde, to consider convincing the BJP. Their appeal said it would be in sync with the state's cultural values and political tradition to not oppose when a family member of a deceased MLA files his or her nomination in a bypoll. However, of late, some bypolls caused by the death of a sitting MLA had departed from the tradition the politicians invoked this time around.

The BJP went into a huddle and its state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule made an announcement to this effect on Monday, with a few hours left for withdrawal. He denied that the decision was taken out of fear of loss and added that a real contest would be seen in 2024. The decision could have come earlier, but it took a third-party intervention to convince the BJP and its allies. Fadnavis had said on Sunday the BJP had taken similar decisions in the past when it was approached in a proper way by the rival party. In a way, he conveyed that the Thackeray Sena had not formally asked for an unopposed bypoll. Other parties too had responded to the BJP's requests in similar situations, he said.

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However, it seemed that the Thackeray Sena did approach the BJP once Raj, Pawar and Sarnaik had eased the crisis to a comfortable level. BJP's national general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra, CT Ravi, said the other party had formally called his party leaders. "I cannot say everything in public, but calls were made to us. The forthcoming big bout of the BMC polls will decide who is weaker and stronger," said the leader, who presided over the state leaders' meeting.

Bawankule indicated that the truce was temporary and a real battle would be fought in 2024. "Our support was evident when 15,000 people gathered for filing the nomination of [Murji] Patel. We had respected the tradition in the past and have done it this time as well," he said.

The campaigning started a week ago and gathered pace after the new symbols and names were allotted. Both factions organised their respective shows of strength on Dussehra, ripping each other apart. The BJP lined up all its strength in support of its candidate Murji Patel who filed his nomination amid much fanfare. Latke's show did not lack power. Her party said, though all odds were stacked against it, it smelt victory because of the enthused cadre and sympathy for the widow. The BJP thought otherwise.

Stakes have been high for the BJP and Thackeray Sena ahead of the BMC polls. The Shinde Sena had achieved a goal of getting the symbol and name frozen. A loss for the BJP would not bother the Shinde Sena much as it would impact its ally. The Shinde Sena was short of assistance to be given to the BJP in Andheri. In fact, it did not have a grassroots support system and subsequently a candidate to field there against its arch-rival.

"We are thankful to the BJP for responding to the request of senior leaders from various parties. The tradition has been kept alive. They [the BJP] have done what the state expected them to do in such a situation," said Anil Parab, former minister and party's in-charge of the Andheri bypoll.

Sena's winner-in-waiting Rutuja Latke thanked the leaders and the BJP. "Raj Thackeray saheb and Sarnaik ji have spoken greatly of my husband's good work in the constituency and his cordial relationship with them. Pawar saheb has supported me. It [the BJP's decision] could have happened earlier, but I'm happy that it has happened at this stage," added Latke.

Raj Thackeray wrote another letter to Fadnavis on Monday, thanking the DyCM and BJP high command for respecting his sentiment. "Positive political culture is supplementary for building a good society. We, in the MNS, try to encourage the political parties to raise issues from their respective platform in order to compete positively with each other," he said. However, Raj's effort did not get any recognition from his estranged cousin Uddhav, who had released a statement on Sunday night profusely thanking Sharad Pawar.

Thackeray Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who was brought to the court from jail for hearing on Monday, gave credence to his party leader's snub for Raj. He told reporters that the Raj letter had been scripted to avoid the BJP's defeat in the bypoll. "We were sure of winning by at least 40,000 votes," he stated further.

State Congress president Nana Patole wondered whether the compromise was arrived at to help the rainbow panel comprising leaders and supporters of the Shinde Sena, the BJP, the NCP and Thackeray Sena to win the Mumbai Cricket Association elections unopposed. Fadnavis said some people appealed to the BJP openly and some did it discreetly to withdraw its candidate. He refuted the allegation that the pull-out was out of fear of loss. "Today's gram panchayat results show who the people's favourite is. In fact, the BJP workers wanted the party to contest. We had a strong candidate and were well prepared to triumph."

Six others still in fray

Though the BJP has pulled out and six more candidates have also withdrawn their nominations from the Andheri by-election, polling will be held as per schedule on November 3, because six others are still in the fray against Thackeray Sena's Rutuja Latke. There were 14 nominations till the withdrawal time on Monday. Latke's victory is certain but her party will have to campaign to ensure that she gets most number of votes.