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Caste certificate controversy flares as Jankar prepares for Malshiras assembly bid
The announcement of Uttam Jankar’s candidature from Malshiras for the upcoming assembly elections has reignited a long-standing controversy over his caste certificate
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Pune: The announcement of Uttam Jankar’s candidature from Malshiras for the upcoming assembly elections has reignited a long-standing controversy over his caste certificate. Jankar, a prominent leader within the Dhangar community, is contesting the polls as candidate for Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) led by Sharad Pawar but faces hurdles since Malshiras is reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SC).
The NCP (SP) announced Jankar’s candidature for the Malshiras seat in Solapur district. The core issue lies in Jankar’s caste validity; he currently holds a Hindu Khatik caste certificate, raising questions about his eligibility to contest from the reserved seat. His caste issue first came under scrutiny during the 2014 assembly elections when his caste validity certificate was invalidated by election officials after objections from local MLA Rajendra Dolas.
In 2019, Jankar approached the High Court, which allowed him to contest the elections. He subsequently lost to Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Ram Satpute by over 2,500 votes. Allegations surfaced that before 2008, Jankar had contested the local body elections from the OBC (Other Backward Category). However, after the 2008 delimitation, when Malshiras was reserved for SC, Jankar obtained an SC certificate to contest.
Jankar said, “The issue is deliberately hyped by opponents whenever I decide to contest. There are a total of 59 castes under the SC category, and I belong to one of them. I am not concerned by these challenges as the opponents have no other issues against me.”
Meanwhile, the BJP has renominated sitting MLA Ram Satpute for the Malshiras seat. Satpute, who previously lost in the Lok Sabha polls to Congress candidate Praniti Shinde in Solapur, had been supported by the influential Mohite-Patil family in 2019. However, Mohite-Patil has since aligned with NCP (SP), meaning Satpute will need to rely more on grassroots efforts to retain his seat.
Local political analysts predict that Jankar’s candidacy and the controversy surrounding his caste certificate could influence voter sentiment in Malshiras, raising broader questions about caste representation in Maharashtra’s political landscape. As Jankar heads into the electoral fray, the resolution of his caste validity may prove pivotal to his campaign’s success.
With the political climate increasingly charged, attention remains on how election authorities will address Jankar’s caste certificate issue and its potential impact on the electoral process in Malshiras.
