Mumbai: Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar announced the disqualification of a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) from Andheri-Jogeshwari, Naziya Abdul Jabbar Sofi, on Monday, after the caste scrutiny committee found that the caste certificate she had submitted during the civic poll was bogus.
The runner-up for this seat was the Shiv Sena’s Neha Khurshid Alam, but the committee has also received complaints about the invalidity of Alam’s caste certificate. The matter is still in the Bombay High Court.
Sofi was elected corporator in 2017 from the OBC reserved Andheri West ward No. 78, having defeated the Sena candidate Alam, polling 4,012 votes to Alam’s 2,934. After Sofi’s victory, Alam had complained about the former’s caste certificate and on verification, the certificate was found to be invalid.
After this, the BMC general secretary had tabled the proposal for Sofi’s disqualification of Nazia Sofi at the civic general body meeting held on Monday. Mahadeshwar announced her disqualification.
This is a jolt to the NCP in the BMC, as its strength has now declined from nine to eight. But, Alam cannot be announced as the new corporator as the matter of her own caste certificate is in court.