Maharashtra BJP chief says party won't contest Andheri East Assembly bypoll

The Bharatiya Janata Party will not contest the November 3 bypoll to Andheri East Assembly seat in Mumbai, Maharashtra party chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Monday.

"The BJP has decided not to contest the Andheri East bypoll. Murji Patel, who had filed the nomination from the BJP, will now withdraw it. We could have otherwise won the election," Bawankule said in Nagpur.

The BJP had previously also not contested some of the bypolls, he added.

Monday is the last day for withdrawal of nominations for the Andheri East Assembly bypoll, necessitated due to the death of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke in May this year.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction has fielded Ramesh Latke's wife Rutuja Latke in the byelection.

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday sought the unopposed election of Rutuja Latke in the bypoll, while MNS president Raj Thackeray had appealed to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis not to field BJP's nominee to show reverence to late Ramesh Latke.