Mumbai, Oct 11 (PTI) The Uddhav Thackeray faction on Wednesday alleged its candidate for Andheri (East) Assembly seat bypoll, Rutuja Latke, was being pressured by the group led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde to contest on their ticket.
The Thackeray faction, now called as ‘Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’ party, also alleged political pressure on the Mumbai civic body to delay the resignation of Latke as its employee to scuttle her candidature for the November 3 bypoll.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner I S Chahal denied any political pressure.
Breaking her silence, Latke said she had not met CM Shinde and maintained she will contest on the Thackeray faction’s ‘mashaal’ symbol.
Latke has moved the Bombay High Court seeking a direction to the Mumbai civic body to accept her resignation. She claimed the delay by the Mumbai civic body appears deliberate to prevent her from contesting.
As per the Election Commission’s rules, Latke cannot file the nomination papers until her resignation is accepted, as she cannot hold an office of profit from the government. The last date for filing the nomination papers is October 14.
Denying the allegations of political pressure, Chahal said the “application for resignation is in progress”.
He said Latke had submitted her resignation application on October 3 evening. Rules permit the BMC to decide about the application in 30 days, he told PTI in a text message.
Earlier in the day, former minister and Uddhav Thackeray loyalist, Anil Parab, claimed Latke’s resignation as an administrative officer in the K ward of the civic body was not being accepted to force her to contest as the Shinde group’s candidate.
“The Andheri East seat belonged to the Shiv Sena. We will contest and win. You will know our next course of action if Rutuja Latke is unable to contest,” he said.
She resigned on September 2 but was told recently that her letter was not in a proper format. She has given a fresh resignation letter which is yet to be accepted, Parab claimed.
When reporters asked Latke if she was under pressure, she said, “Do I look so?” “Like my late husband, my loyalty is with Uddhav Thackeray,” she told reporters outside the BMC commissioner’s office.
In her petition, Latke also requested the HC to allow her to file the nomination for the bypoll, necessitated by the death of her husband and sitting MLA Ramesh Latke.
“The delay on the part of the respondents (BMC) in issuing a letter/certificate/order appears to be deliberate to prevent the petitioner from contesting the byelection,” it added.
Chahal denied the allegation of “political pressure” levelled by the Thackeray-led faction.
Parab had alleged that the BMC commissioner was not giving reasons why Latke’s resignation was not being accepted.
Earlier in the day, Latke and former city mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar had gone to meet Chahal.
Mahadewshwar said Latke had submitted her resignation on October 3 and also deposited the money (one month’s salary) but the civic administration is not accepting the resignation.
He said, “entire Maharashtra knows who is pressuring the civic body”.
According to civic officials, Latke had submitted her first resignation on September 2 with a condition that it should not be accepted until the results of the bypoll were declared.
The application was rejected and she was informed on September 29, they said, adding that Latke filed a fresh application on October 3.
Officials also said rules allow them to process the application in 30 days and the process includes getting no objection from various departments to crosscheck if any inquiry is pending against the applicant or any dues.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the government has no role in the alleged delay by the Mumbai civic body in accepting the resignation of Latke.
This is the first bypoll the splintered Shiv Sena led by Thackeray will contest on its new symbol, the ‘Mashaal’ (flaming torch).
The Congress and NCP have pledged support to the ‘Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray’ party, making Rutuja Latka the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) candidate.
The BJP is likely to field Murji Patel.
The stand of the Shinde faction, now called “Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena”, on contesting the bypoll is not clear yet. PTI MR SP ND KK GK NSK NSK
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