Mumbai corporators keep getting disqualified, and the rivals they beat stand to gain

Mumbai's corporators are frequently being disqualified due to invalid caste certificates, leaving their rivals to gain control of the wards. This issue has become particularly acute during the monsoon season, when residents urgently need assistance from their elected officials. The current situation has led to five BMC wards being without a corporator, and a sixth is expected to join them soon.

In most cases, the reason for disqualification is the invalidity of the caste certificate submitted during the nomination process. The challenger, who finished second in the ward during the elections, stands to benefit from the invalidation. The first corporator to be disqualified was Deepak Sawant from ward 111 in Bhandup, followed by Shamir Ramzan Patel in ward 137, Roshan Shaikh in ward 138, and Bushra Nadeem Malik in ward 170.

The most recent case involves Vishakha Raut, a former mayor and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, who was ruled ineligible for her ward 191 due to an invalid OBC certificate. Disqualification proceedings must first go through the Small Cause Court before the seat is automatically filled by the runner-up. This has left many residents without representation and unable to address their grievances, particularly in deprived areas with high populations.