Mumbai civic body accepts resignation of Uddhav Thackeray’s candidate for bye-poll after HC order
Rutuja Latke had moved the High Court since municipal employees cannot contest the elections according to the law.
The Mumbai civic body on Friday accepted the resignation of its assistant clerk Rutuja Latke, who is Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)’s candidate for the Andheri East bye-polls, reported PTI.
Latke’s candidature for the poll was stuck as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had refused to accept her resignation on October 3. A municipal employee cannot contest any elections as per Rule 6 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Service (Conduct) Regulations.
She had approached the Bombay High Court saying that if her resignation is not accepted she would not be able to file her nomination paper by the October 14 deadline set by the Election Commission, reported The Indian Express. On Thursday, the Bombay High Court directed the civic body to accept Rutuja Latke’s resignation.
Rutuja Latke is the widow of former Shiv Sena MLA from Andheri (East), Ramesh Latke, whose death in May has necessitated the Andheri bye-polls. She will contest against Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Murji Patel.
The Shiv Sena split into two factions in June after current Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and a group of party MLAs rebelled against the former state government – a coalition of the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.
After more than a week of political drama, the coalition was ousted from power as the Thackeray faction was reduced to a minority in the state Assembly. Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra on June 30, while the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Devendra Fadnavis took oath as his deputy.
On October 8, the Election Commission barred the two factions of the Shiv Sena from using the party name and its “bow and arrow,” symbol, ahead of the upcoming bye-polls. It asked them to submit options for the symbols.
The poll body, on October 10, allotted the flaming torch symbol to the Thackeray-led faction and recognised it as Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray). The poll body has allotted the “two swords and shield” symbol to the Shinde faction and said the group will be known by the name Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena.