Mumbai: Former Mayor Vishakha Raut Disqualified As Corporator For 6 Years Over OBC Certificate Issue

Mumbai, September 5, 2026: The Maharashtra Government has barred senior Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator and former Mumbai Mayor Vishakha Raut from contesting or holding the post of corporator for six years, in a major setback for the veteran leader.

For the Thackeray camp, however, the move goes beyond a legal blow—it has turned into a prestige battle over retaining its grip on a key Shiv Sena stronghold.

The Palghar Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee cancelled her OBC certificate on August 21, citing the wrong jurisdiction, following which the Urban Development Department issued her disqualification order through a GR dated September 1. The civic house is likely to formally announce the disqualification on Monday.

Disqualification Order Issued

The GR states that Raut’s disqualification under Section 16 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act has rendered her seat as a councillor vacant. Exercising its powers under the same provision, the Maharashtra Government has disqualified her from being elected or serving as a councillor for six years, effective from August 20, 2026.

Raut’s Narrow Dadar Victory

Raut represents the politically prized Dadar–Shivaji Park belt, where she retained Shiv Sena (UBT)’s OBC-reserved Ward 191 in one of the BMC election’s closest fights.

She polled 13,236 votes to defeat Priya Sarvankar, daughter of Shiv Sena (Shinde) former MLA Sada Sarvankar, by a razor-thin 197 votes. With only two candidates in the fray, the contest was a straight political face-off, making Raut’s narrow victory particularly significant.

Fifth Opposition Corporator Disqualified

Raut is the fifth Opposition corporator to lose her seat over a caste certificate issue. However, hers is the first case in which the Urban Development Department has issued a direct disqualification order.

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Four other BMC corporators—Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Deepak Sawant from Ward 111 in Bhandup, AIMIM’s Sameer Ramzan Patel from Ward 137 in Govandi, AIMIM’s Roshan Shaikh from Ward 138, and NCP’s Bushra Nadeem Malik from Ward 170 in Kurla East—have already been disqualified after district scrutiny committees invalidated the caste certificates they used to contest reserved seats. Several of them have challenged their disqualification in court.

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