Raj Thackeray thanks 'dear friend' Devendra Fadnavis after BJP withdraws candidate from Andheri East bypoll

On Sunday, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray had written a letter to Devendra Fadnavis and made a 'special request', asking the BJP to pull out of the Andheri East Assembly bypoll race to show reverence to late Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke.

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday (October 17, 2022) pulled out its candidate from the Andheri East Assembly bypoll after an appeal by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Raj Thackeray, who wrote to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asking the ruling party to pull out from the bypoll arena. BJP's Murji Patel, who withdrew his nomination papers on Monday, was pitted against the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction's candidate Rutuja Latke, whose husband's death in May this year necessitated the bypoll. 

Thanking Fadnavis for the BJP's decision to withdraw its candidate, Thackeray said that it is essential to have a "positive" political culture. In a letter written to the BJP leader, the MNS chief referred to him as his "dear friend".

"I am thankful that you responded to this (appeal)," he said.

"Our opinion is that political parties should compete fairly with their issues on the political platform with a good political culture," he added.

अंधेरी (पूर्व) पोट-निवडणुकीत भारतीय जनता पक्षाचा उमेदवार उभा न करण्याचा निर्णय घेतलात ह्याबद्दल @Dev_Fadnavis आणि पक्षातील वरिष्ठ नेतेमंडळींचे शतश: आभार. उमद्या राजकीय संस्कृतीसह राजकीय मंचावर आपापले मुद्दे घेऊन राजकीय पक्षांनी निकोप स्पर्धा करावी हीच आमची धारणा ! pic.twitter.com/VKmmJl3Gno

— Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) October 17, 2022

Earlier on Sunday, Thackeray had written a letter to Fadnavis and made a 'special request', asking the ruling BJP to pull out of the bypoll race to show reverence to late Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke.

After the death of MLA Ramesh Latke, his widow has filed for candidature in the Andheri east by-poll. I request you to not fight any candidate against her. This will be an honourable tribute to the departed soul.@Dev_Fadnavis pic.twitter.com/OE8CDZkQsX — Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) October 16, 2022

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had also appealed to all parties to ensure that Rutuja Latke was elected unopposed. 

With Patel pulling out, Rutuja Latke's victory in the November 3 elections is now a mere formality. 

Reacting to the BJP's announcement, Rutuja Latke said she was indebted to everyone who worked to make this election an uncontested battle. 

(With agency inputs)