Caste panel invalidates Sena (UBT) corporator's certificate, puts her election at risk

Raut, formerly an MLA from Dadar, is considered close to the Thackeray family.

In a setback for the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), the caste verification committee in Palghar district has declared as invalid the caste certificate of former mayor and sitting Dadar corporator Vishakha Raut. Unless the senior Sena (UBT) leader obtains a stay from the same authority, her election as corporator is likely to be cancelled, officials said.

Former MLA and Dadar corporator Vishakha Raut (X/ @vishakharaut13)

Raut, formerly an MLA from Dadar, is considered close to the Thackeray family and is a member of several trusts which control Sena (UBT) properties. During the civic polls last year, she contested from ward number 191 in Dadar, reserved for Other Backward Classes (OBC), and defeated Priya Sarvankar, daughter of former Dadar MLA Sada Sarvankar.

Raut says caste certificate invalidated after rival’s alleged intervention

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Raut claimed her caste certificate had been deemed invalid at the behest of Sada Sarvankar, whose daughter Priya had lost against her by 191 votes.

“Sada Sarvankar pressured the caste scrutiny committee to declare my certificate invalid. I am from the Kunbi community and had submitted the relevant documents belonging to my grandfather’s brothers’ families and my family. The SDO (Subdivisional officer) Palghar had sanctioned my certificate and I had filed my nomination for the civic polls only after that. Now, the caste scrutiny committee says that the SDO had no jurisdiction to give me a certificate,” she said.

Former mayor plans appeal

She would appeal against the cancellation of her caste certificate with the Collector, she said.

Sada Sarvankar refuted allegations of pressuring the caste scrutiny committee. “I am a former MLA and can’t pressurize anyone. Her certificate has been declared invalid and she is bound to make allegations,” he said.

So far, four BMC corporators have been disqualified after their caste certificates were declared invalid. They are AIMIM’s Roshan Shaikh from ward 138, NCP’s Bushra Nadeem Malik from ward 170, Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Deepak Sawant from ward 111, and AIMIM’s Sameer Ramzan Patel from ward 137. While all four were elected from reserved category seats, and have approached the judiciary over cancellation of their caste certificates and termination of their term as corporator.