India, Jan. 2 -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday withdrew its candidate from Ward No. 2 after facing strong internal opposition, following which nominee Pooja More-Jadhav stepped aside amid mounting pressure from party workers.

More-Jadhav, who had managed to officially get AB form from the BJP to fight the polls on the party's symbol from the Republican Party of India (RPI) quota, withdrew her nomination a day after old videos surfaced online in which she was seen criticising chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over the Maratha reservation issue and making personal remarks against him. The clips were widely shared by political opponents and BJP supporters alike, triggering strong reactions within the party.

More-Jadhav said s...