Andheri bypoll: Voters being paid to select NOTA, claims Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena
"My party has footage of purported Republican Party of India (RPI) members engaging in such behaviour. The RPI (Athawale faction) is a member of the National Democratic Alliance, which the Bharatiya Janata Party leads," said senior party leader Anil Parab.
FollowThe Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray party, on Tuesday, claimed that voters were paid to select the None Of The Above (NOTA) option in the city's November 3 Assembly byelection.
At 5 pm, the byelection campaign came to an end. According to the party's senior leader, Anil Parab, the issue has been raised with the Election Commission and the police.
The election will have ramifications in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election as well, as it will see the combined strength of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies for the first time (Thackeray-led Sena, NCP and Congress), added Parab.
According to the former Maharashtra minister, some people are being paid to vote for NOTA.
According to him, his party has video clips of purported Republican Party of India (RPI) workers engaging in such behaviour. The RPI (Athawale faction) is a member of the National Democratic Alliance, which is led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Rutuja Latke, the wife of incumbent Sena MLA Ramesh Latke, whose death necessitated the election, has been fielded by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction. The BJP nominated Murji Patel but later withdrew his candidacy after the party decided not to contest the election.
On the one hand, the BJP withdrew its candidate, citing the tradition of not running against family members of deceased lawmakers. People, on the other hand, are being asked to vote for NOTA, according to Parab.
He expressed confidence that Latke will receive 98-99 per cent of the votes cast and said that she would complete the works that are left unfinished.
As a major commercial centre, the constituency has issues such as connectivity to the eastern and western suburbs; according to Parab, several Slum Rehabilitation Authority projects in the area are pending.
(With inputs from PTI)
Also Read: Andheri bypoll: BJP clears way for Sena's Rutuja Latke; withdraws Murji Patel as its candidate
Also Read: Andheri bypoll: There's anger among people the way Rutuja Latke was treated, says Aaditya Thackeray
