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

Mumbai, September 5, 2026: The Maharashtra Government has stripped senior Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator and former Mumbai Mayor Vishakha Raut of her right to contest or hold the position of corporator for a period of six years. This decision marks a significant setback for the veteran leader and is viewed as a prestige battle within the Thackeray camp, as it impacts their grip on a key Shiv Sena stronghold.

The Palghar Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee invalidated Raut's OBC certificate on August 21, citing incorrect jurisdiction. Following this, the Urban Development Department issued her disqualification order through a government resolution (GR) dated September 1. The civic house is expected to formally announce the disqualification on Monday.

The disqualification order under Section 16 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act renders her councillor seat vacant, with the disqualification effective from August 20, 2026. Raut represented the politically crucial Dadar–Shivaji Park belt, where she secured Shiv Sena (UBT)'s OBC-reserved Ward 191 in one of the most closely contested BMC elections.

She won the election with 13,236 votes, narrowly defeating Priya Sarvankar by a margin of just 197 votes. This victory is noteworthy as it was the only contest with two candidates. Raut is the fifth opposition corporator to lose her seat due to a caste certificate issue, however, she is the first in this case to face a direct disqualification order from the Urban Development Department.

Four other BMC corporators—Deepak Sawant from Ward 111 in Bhandup, Sameer Ramzan Patel from Ward 137 in Govandi, Roshan Shaikh from Ward 138, and Bushra Nadeem Malik from Ward 170 in Kurla East—have already been disqualified after district scrutiny committees invalidated their caste certificates used to contest reserved seats. Some of them have challenged their disqualification in court.