After SC jab, Amravati Sena rebel withdraws plea challenging rejection of MLC nomination

Amravati: In a setback to Shiv Sena rebel and independent candidate Viplav Bajoria, Supreme Court on Tuesday nudged him to withdraw his petition challenging rejection of his nomination for Amravati Local Authorities Constituency election to Maharashtra Legislative Council, warning it would otherwise be dismissed.Bajoria had filed his nomination for the MLC poll. However, the district election officer rejected it during scrutiny after four rival candidates raised objections, declaring it invalid.Challenging the rejection, Bajoria moved Nagpur Bench of Bombay high court. Court refused to grant immediate interim relief and posted the matter for hearing on June 17. He then approached the Supreme Court with a Special Leave Petition (SLP).The SLP came up before a bench headed by Justice PK Mishra on Tuesday. During the hearing, Justice Mishra observed that the petition was not maintainable at this stage and gave Bajoria two options: withdraw the plea or have it dismissed by the Court. Following the observation, Bajoria chose to withdraw the petition, which SC then dismissed as withdrawn.BJP candidate Pravin Pote filed a caveat in the matter. He was represented by Adv Shreyas Lalit, assisted by Adv Sandeep Gupta and Adv Chandrashekhar Dorle.Despite the Supreme Court setback, Bajoria's camp has signaled it will not back down. Former MLA Gopikishan Bajoria said the legal battle was far from over and would be pursued "until the last possible moment." "We are not seeking a stay on the polls. We will request the HC to allow Viplav to participate. A fresh application to this effect will be filed before the high court today. We will continue our efforts and will not abandon the fight midway," he said.