Anil Parab, who was incharge of the Andheri(E) by poll campaign said the results show that the MVA has a long way to go and the expressed confidence that if the polls are fought in alliance as MVA then it can get victory in the upcoming BMC elections as well. Despite the low turnout of 31.7 per cent for the Andheri bypoll elections, Latke not only won the assembly election by securing 77 per cent votes but in the process also became the candidate to secure the highest number of votes from this constituency till date. This, many believe reflects a clear and smooth transfer of votes by Congress and NCP.
Winning the assmbly election on Sunday, Latke, secured a total of 66,530 votes, out of the 86,570 voted polled during the election. This is the highest vote that any candidate from this constituency has secured in the four assembly elections, since its formation in 2008. In the previous three elections, the highest vote was secured by Latke’s husband Ramesh Latke in 2019 when he polled 62,773 votes even as Sena and BJP contested the elections together. But this was at a time when the total votes polled for in the constituency were 1.47 lakh.
As against a voter turnout of 31.74 percent this time, the polling percentage was much higher in the past. In 2009 assembly polls, 49.70 per cent voters cast their votes and then the turnout in 2014 and 2019 rose further to 53.44 per cent and 53.55 per cent respectively. The electoral statistics shows that the Andheri east constituency has over 2.7 lakh voters of which in all the past three elections the voters turn out was between 49% to 53 percent. While in 2009, 1.37lakh voters voted, in 2014 and 2019 , 1.53lakh and 1.47 lakh voters casted their votes.
In this by-poll however even after being lowest voters turn out with 31.74%, wherein only 86,198 voters casted their votes out of the total 2.74 lakh voters, Latke managed a clean sweep by consolidating a total of 66,530 (76.85% total vote share).
According to the political observers, the reason behind the surge in votes to Latke, despite low voters turn out could be linked to no candidature by BJP and Congress and the possibility of smooth transfer of votes from Congress, as MVA partners contested this election as allies. Analysts also claimed that the sympathy for the Sena as well as the Latke in the constituency may have also played a major role apart from the transfer of votes.
A sena functionary confessed that the voting to Sena-MVA candidate Latke showed that thoseagainst BJP also cast their votes for Sena, which the party would not get earlier owing to its alliance with BJP. “Since, we are not with BJP, the anti-BJP and secular votes seems to have been transferred to us, which would not happen earlier..,”the functionary said.
Anil Parab, who was incharge of the Andheri(E) by poll campaign said the results show that the MVA has a long way to go and the expressed confidence that if the polls are fought in alliance as MVA then it can get victory in the upcoming BMC elections as well.