A litmus test for Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena and the BJP to win the Andheri East by-election ahead of the BMC elections

In the Andheri East assembly by-election scheduled for November 3, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and the BJP, which is second fiddle to the Shinde-led Shiv Sena in the state government, will be put to the test. The by-election is being held in the wake of the Shiv Sena led by Thackeray and Shinde receiving new names and symbols, particularly in the wake of the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government following the Shinde-led rebellion and the formation of the government by the Shinde camp alongside the BJP in the state.

 

Rutuja Latke, a candidate for the Thackeray-led party and the widow of the late Ramesh Latke, a Shiv Sena lawmaker, will square off against Murji Patel, a candidate for the BJP who ran as an independent in the 2019 elections but lost to Ramesh Latke. Since BJP was the obvious candidate, the Shinde camp was unable to win the seat. As the Shiv Sena had won all elections for the previous 33 years using the bow and arrow, which the polling panel has frozen, the Thackeray-led party would need to increase outreach to voters with its new symbol, a flaming torch

 

NCP, Congress, CPI, and other like-minded parties have pledged their support to the Thackeray-led party. In addition to mobilising votes from Muslims, whose presence is significant in the district, it also aims to capitalise on sympathy. Furthermore, with the tacit assistance of Maha Shakti, the BJP, the Thackeray-led party is prepared to appeal to voters by portraying itself as the victim of alleged treachery by Shinde. Before the forthcoming BMC elections in 2022, winning a by-election is crucial for the Thackeray-led party, which has adopted the fiery torch as its new symbol. The Marathi Manoos card will also be emphasised by the Thackeray-led group.

 

Mr. Aaditya Thackeray, the leader of the Yuva Sena, described the by-election as a conflict between humanity and khokasur (disloyal). On the other hand, Mr. Ravindra Waikar, a former minister and MLA for the Thackeray-led party, predicted that "our candidate will be elected with 65 percent votes." Who informed the BJP that Rituja Latke is unfeeling? If they don't understand that when an elected official passes away, their family receives sympathy votes, there is no sense in saying. Even though the BJP and the Shinde-led party caused numerous issues, Ms. Latke will win.

 

On the other hand, the by-election is essential for BJP, the Shinde camp, and RPI to pursue Mission 2022 and win control in BMC. However, the BJP will have to work hard to win over the Marathi Manoos and other Shinde camp followers. Additionally, the BJP will need to counteract the sympathy that favours Ms. Latke. Mr. Ashish Shelar, the head of the Mumbai BJP, faces a significant obstacle because Mr. Patel's victory will pave the way for the party to win the BMC election and unseat the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena. According to Mr. Shelar, Mr. Patel would prevail by a margin of 25,000 votes.

 

The Congress, who insulted Savarkar, is holding the burning torch, according to state BJP president Mr. Chandrashekhar Bawankule, and the NCP's clock is ticking. Thus, supporting Uddhav Sena entails supporting Congress-NCP. In such a case, the alliance's regular voters will not support Uddhav Sena. The Shiv Sena candidate Murji Patel, who is backed by the BJP and Balasaheb, will win this election.

 

Meanwhile, Deepak Kesarkar, the School Education Minister and spokesperson for the Shinde-led party denied Aaditya's accusations. Mr. Murji Patel is a candidate from the area. His popularity is evident by the size of the crowd present at the rally today. Aditya Thackeray only engages in sympathy politics. They also caused our "Dhanushyaban" (bow and arrow) to freeze, he alleged.

 

 

Image Courtesy: Twitter @SanjayJog7