Ex-Mayor Vishakha Raut's Dadar BMC Election to Be Cancelled Over Caste Certificate

Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator and former Mumbai mayor Vishakha Raut is set to lose her municipal seat after the Palghar caste scrutiny committee invalidated the Other Backward Class (OBC) certificate she submitted during the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections for Ward 191 in Dadar.

Ward 191 in Dadar was reserved for women candidates from the OBC category. Raut had contested the civic polls on a Shiv Sena (UBT) ticket and submitted an OBC certificate to establish her eligibility to contest from the reserved constituency.

The Palghar committee issued its order on Friday, officially invalidating Raut's caste certificate following a complaint that challenged its validity. A copy of the scrutiny committee's order is scheduled to reach the BMC headquarters by Monday. Following the receipt of the document, the civic administration is expected to formally announce the cancellation of her corporator post in the municipal house.

Raut represents the Dadar–Shivaji Park area, where she had retained the seat for her party after defeating Priya Sarvankar, the daughter of former Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Sada Sarvankar.

Responding to the committee's ruling, Raut alleged that the decision was influenced by political pressure from the Shiv Sena. She maintained that she genuinely belongs to the OBC category, pointing out that her family's ancestral village is located in Palghar district.

Questioning the timing and background of the ruling, Raut stated that the outcome appeared predetermined. She noted that a former Shiv Sena MLA had spoken publicly about her impending disqualification a month prior, asserting that his daughter would take the seat, and questioned how such information could have been known so far in advance.