Shiv Sena's Ramesh Prabhu files nominations as independent

Former Shiv Sena legislator Ramesh Prabhu on Monday filed his nomination papers for the October 13 Maharashtra assembly polls as an independent candidate from Vile Parle constituency.

"I took the decision to fight the election as an independent as there was no offer from Shiv Sena," Prabhu, the mayor of the city in 1987, told PTI.

Shiv Sena's Vinayak Raut represented the seat in the outgoing assembly and the party has renominated him as its candidate.

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Prabhu had shot into the limelight when the Supreme Court debarred him from contesting elections from 1995 to 2001 on the grounds that he had canvassed votes in the name of religion during the 1990 assembly polls.

Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, who had delivered 'religious' speeches while campaigning for Prabhu, was also debarred from exercising his franchise for the same period.

Prabhu had won the Vile Parle seat in a by-election in 1987-88 and retained the seat in 1990.