NCP (SP) Corporator Farzana Ansari Disqualified Over Invalid OBC Caste Certificate; Ward 4-A Seat Declared Vacant

Bhiwandi: Farzana Mohammad Suleman Ansari, also known as Farzana Syed, a corporator elected from Ward 4-A of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation (BNCMC) on a Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) ticket, has been disqualified after her Other Backward Classes (OBC) caste certificate was declared invalid. Municipal Commissioner Anmol Sagar has issued an official order cancelling her election retrospectively and declaring the seat vacant.

Caste scrutiny committee rejects certificate

The caste certificate, issued by the Bhiwandi Sub-Divisional Officer’s office on August 12, 2022, identified Ansari as belonging to the OBC category. However, the Thane District Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee subsequently declared the certificate invalid.

The proceedings followed a complaint by Ir am Ahmed Hussain Ansari, the Samajwadi Party’s defeated candidate, who challenged the validity of the certificate. After examining the submitted evidence, including caste entries in school-leaving certificates and the Vigilance Squad’s report, the committee ruled against the certificate.

Election cancelled with retrospective effect

Acting on the scrutiny committee’s decision, the municipal administration disqualified Ansari under Section 10(1)(a) of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act and the applicable provisions governing caste certificate verification.

The commissioner’s order states that, following the invalidation of the caste certificate, her election is deemed cancelled with retrospective effect. The Ward 4-A corporator’s seat has consequently been declared vacant.

The administration has also directed that copies of the order be forwarded to the State Election Commission, the Urban Development Department and the relevant government offices for further action.

High Court relief awaited

Following the cancellation of her corporator’s post, Ansari is reported to have approached the Bombay High Court and the Konkan Divisional Commissioner’s office at Konkan Bhavan, seeking relief and a stay on the decision.

Whether she obtains any interim relief remains to be seen. The development has drawn attention in Bhiwandi’s political circles, with the future of the vacant Ward 4-A seat now awaiting further proceedings.

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