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. 


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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.



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.



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)