Sena defeats Abu Azmi`s son in Bhiwandi East Assembly bypoll

Thane, Jan 23 (PTI) Farhan, son of Abu Azmi, who is in a
controversy over his refusal to take oath in Marathi, on
Saturday lost the Bhiwandi East Assembly by-election in
India's western state Maharashtra when he was defeated by Shiv
Sena candidate Rupesh Mhatre.
Samajwadi Party MP Amar Singh, who is having problems in
his party and has recently resigned from all posts in the
organisation, had come especially to campaign for Farhan.
While Mhatre got 35,376 votes, Azmi polled 33,700 in the
January 20 by-election necessitated by Abu Azmi's resignation
from the seat. He had won from two constituencies, Mankhurd in
Mumbai and Bhiwandi East, in the October 2009 elections, and
vacated the latter.
Mhatre's victory has come as a birthday gift for Sena
supremo Bal Thackeray, who turned 84 on Saturday. Sena has
wrested the seat dominated by members of the minority
community.
Congress candidate Muzaffar Hussain, an MLC, finished
third bagging 24,418 votes.
Yogesh Patil of Shiv Sena had won the seat in 2004, but
it was snatched by the SP last year.
In an unprecedented incident, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
MLAs had attacked Azmi inside the state assembly on November 9
for taking oath in Hindi and not in Marathi against the diktat
of MNS chief Raj Thackeray. PTI