In Mumbai’s Andheri East assembly by-election, there has been a ruckus within the BJP over the declaration of the name of BJP candidate Murji Patel before contesting the election and then withdrawing the nomination.
It is believed that Mumbai State BJP President Ashish Shelar was against the withdrawal of Patel’s name. But it is believed that Shelar got clean bowled in front of Fadnavis’s googly and had to accept this decision.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis believes that the withdrawal of the BJP candidate’s name came after an emotional appeal to NCP leader Sharad Pawar, MNS President Raj Thackeray and Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana is considered the right move. Fadnavis was also unhappy with Patel’s candidature. But due to the pressure of Shelar, Fadnavis was also ready. When all-round pressure started building, he decided to take a step back. Fadnavis was afraid that if the BJP was defeated in this by-election, then its consequences would fall on the six big municipalities of the state, including the upcoming BMC. Another fear was that the Marathi voter might get annoyed if a candidate is fielding against the wife of the late Shiv Sena MLA.
Murji Patel, who filed his nomination, is known to be very close to Mumbai BJP President Shelar. Therefore, Patel’s nomination became a critical problem for Shelar’s. Shelar also claimed to have brought Patel on his own.
In the midst of this conflict within the party, Fadnavis, through his friend and MNS President Raj Thackeray, laid the board. Under this plan, Raj wrote an emotional letter to Fadnavis about the withdrawal of Patel’s candidature, and Sharad Pawar’s appeal served as a power play.
The politics of Fadnavis is such that they get their way without suffering any loss. In fact, victory has become easy for Uddhav Shiv Sena’s candidate Ratuja Latte.