Bhiwandi NCP Corporator Farzana Ansari Loses OBC Certificate Over Record Discrepancies
The District Caste Certificate Verification Committee has unanimously declared the Other Backward Class caste certificate of Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) corporator Farzana Mohammad Suleman Ansari invalid due to discrepancies in family educational records. The decision puts her tenure in Ward No. 4-A of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation in jeopardy, with authorities instructed to withdraw benefits secured through the reserved seat.
The three-member verification committee, led by Revati Gaikar, reached its decision following an examination of written submissions, supporting documents, and an inquiry report compiled by a scrutiny squad. The panel directed the Bhiwandi Sub-Divisional Officer to confiscate and cancel the certificate, invoking Section 10 of the Maharashtra Caste Certificate Act, 2000, and ordered the submission of a compliance report.
Farzana Ansari won election to the municipal corporation from Ward No. 4-A, a ward reserved for an OBC woman, relying on an 'Ansari' OBC certificate issued by the Bhiwandi Sub-Divisional Officer's Office on August 12, 2022. Her election claim was formally contested by defeated Samajwadi Party candidate Iram Ahmed Hussain Ansari, who lodged an objection with the district verification committee.
Scrutiny of the submitted records revealed substantial inconsistencies in the caste descriptions across Farzana's family documents. Her own school leaving certificate recorded her caste as 'Muslim'. Records for her father, Suleman Ahmed Majid Momin, listed 'Islam Sunni' in his school leaving certificate, while the school leaving certificates of her siblings recorded 'Islam Julaha'. The committee determined that these contradictory entries failed to establish her claim to the 'Ansari' OBC category.
Following the invalidation, the committee directed election authorities to withdraw the electoral benefits Farzana obtained through the certificate. While the final cancellation of her municipal membership will depend on upcoming administrative and legal steps taken by civic authorities, the order introduces severe uncertainty over her council seat.
Complainant Iram Ahmed Hussain Ansari confirmed she has formally petitioned civic and electoral leadership. She stated that she has written to the State Election Commissioner and the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Commissioner demanding the formal cancellation of Farzana's municipal membership, adding that the matter now rests with the Municipal Commissioner. Farzana Ansari could not be reached for comment.
