Mumbai: Rutuja Latke of Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction wins Andheri East bypoll

Rutuja Latke and her daughter Bhargavi. Pic/Ashish Rane

Rutuja Latke, the candidate of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), on Sunday won the bypoll to Andheri East assembly seat in Mumbai, news agency PTI.

The counting of votes began at 8 am on Sunday at a civic-run school in Mumbai.

As many as 200 officials were involved in the counting process. The Mumbai Police have deputed 300 personnel to maintain law and order, according to an official statement.

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Voting for the by-election, necessitated due to the death of sitting Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke in May this year, was held on November 3 and witnessed a low voter turnout of 31.74 per cent.

Rutuja Latke, the wife of Ramesh Latke, is expected to win comfortably after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew its nominee from the byelection.

This is the first electoral contest in Maharashtra after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government collapsed in June following a revolt by a section of Shiv Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde. Shinde subsequently became chief minister in an alliance with the BJP.

(With inputs from PTI)