Rutuja Latke moves Bombay High Court for directive to BMC about resignation

Even as the two Shiv Sena factions, led by Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde, are embattled in a war to become the “real Shiv Sena”, Rutuja Latke, wife of late MLA Ramesh Latke, moved Bombay High Court to make the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to accept her resignation. Latke, who is an employee of the civic body, will be contesting the upcoming by-election to the Andheri East constituency.

Her application was mentioned before a division bench of Justice Nitin M Jamdar and Justice Sharmila U Deshmukh on Wednesday. The bench would hear the matter on Thursday.

The by-poll was necessitated following Ramesh Latke’s death, the two-time MLA from Shiv Sena, on May 11, while he was on a trip in Dubai.

The Thackeray-group’s Shiv Sena, now known as Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray, decided to name Rutuja as the candidate for the seat, and is pitted against the Shinde-led faction, now called Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

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Initially, there were reports that the BJP will field former corporator Murji Patel; while the Shinde faction will support. Now, it seems that Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena is interested in contesting the by-poll.

“The Chief Minister and I will sit and discuss and decide our candidate for the election,” BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.

Recently, the Election Commission of India allotted “Mashaal” (Flaming Torch) and “Doh Talwarein aur Ek Dhal” (Two Swords and a Shield) to the Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, respectively.

Rutuja, however, made it clear that she was a candidate for the Thackeray-led party. “I will contest for the Shiv Sena led by Uddhavji and under the Mashaal symbol,” she said.

This is the first by-election in Maharashtra after the Shiv Sena split as a consequence of Shinde’s rebellion.