Rutuja Latke, the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray‘s candidate, on Sunday gained the bypoll to Andheri (East) assembly seat in Mumbai with 66,530 votes. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi took the chance to take a potshot on the Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena and BJP in Maharashtra, saying they’re “now left with egg on their faces”.

“Congratulations Rutuja Latke ji! The @ShivSena’s Mashaal has registered a Vishaal victory in the Andheri East bypoll. So, the NOTA votes strategy that Khota+Khoka sarkar tried has failed & now left with egg on their faces,” Chaturvedi tweeted.

The Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray had earlier alleged {that a} marketing campaign was on asking voters to go for NOTA within the Andheri East meeting by-election.

“On the one hand, the BJP withdrew its candidate, saying it respects the tradition of not fielding a candidate against family members of deceased lawmakers. On the other hand, people are being asked to cast their vote for NOTA,” alleged Sena UBT chief Anil Parab.

The November 3 by-election, necessitated as a result of dying of sitting Shiv Sena MLA and Rutuja Latke’s Ramesh Latke in May, was a mere formality after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew its candidate from the race.

This was the primary electoral contest in Maharashtra after the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) authorities collapsed in June following a revolt by a piece of Shiv Sena MLAs led by Shinde. Shinde subsequently grew to become chief minister in an alliance with the BJP.

Latke is adopted by 12,806 votes polled in favour of the None of the Above (NOTA) possibility, leaving the six different impartial candidates far behind. The NOTA offers an choice to electors to not vote in favour of any of the candidates in an election.

Sena’s Ramesh Latke had represented the Andheri (East) Assembly seat twice. The Shiv Sena had gained 56 seats within the 2019 Maharashtra meeting polls. Latke’s dying introduced the tally all the way down to 55.

In June, 40 Sena legislators led by Eknath Shinde revolted towards the get together management, ensuing within the collapse of the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi authorities (MVA).