(By Sapna Desai Mumbai Samachar Desk)
Mumbai: The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faces the possibility of yet another setback in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The corporator seat of senior Shiv Sena leader, former Mayor, and former MLA Vishakha Raut has come under threat.
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The Palghar District Collector has cancelled Vishakha Raut’s Kunbi caste certificate, raising the possibility that her corporator seat could be annulled as a result. Raut has a three-month window to file her appeal.
Vishakha Raut represents Ward No. 191 as corporator. In this year’s municipal elections, she had defeated Priya Sadasarvankar, daughter of Shinde Sena leader Sada Sarvankar.
The matter of Vishakha Raut’s caste certificate came up before the BMC’s general body, where a final decision is now awaited. Raut, however, has stated that her caste certificate has been valid since her family’s third generation, and further maintained that the Palghar District Collector has no authority to take a decision in this regard. Should Vishakha Raut’s corporator seat be annulled, Priya Sarvankar, who finished as runner-up, could be given the corporator post for the remainder of the term.