Caste panel rejects docus of 3 BJP, 1 independent leaders
In the recently held Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election in February the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) that was the second major party has received a setback from the district caste validity committee, (DCV). The DCV turned down the caste certificates of three BJP corporators Pankaj Yadav from Jogeshwari (ward number 72), Murji Patel and his wife Kesharben Patel from Andheri East (Ward number 81 and 76). Along with these, the caste certificate of an independent corporator Changez Multani from Jogeshwari ward too has been rejected.
Just a week ago, Tulip Miranda’s caste certificate was turned down after which she took the matter to the Bombay High Court (HC) wherein she got a stay order on the rejection.
It is expected that all these corporators too will move the HC. However, Sandeep Naik, the Shiv Sena candidate who contested elections against Murji Patel from ward number 81 stated that Patel had presented fake documents. He is reported to have submitted two different birth certificates of his father one with the date of birth stated as 1933 and other carrying the date of birth as 1939.
“Even the school leaving certificate submitted was fake. Therefore, there is no chance that HC will entertain his plea,” said Naik. Meanwhile, he also remarked that he will lodge a case in HC against Patel and his wife for contesting elections on fake documents. Murji Patel told Free Press Journal the caste DCV has not checked the documents properly and they have taken wrong decisions. He further said, “I am confident that I will get stay orders.”
Other corporators whose caste certificate too was turned down were Pankaj Yadav, Changez Multani, who remained unavailable for any comment.
In BMC, BJP has 82 corporators. If the three corporators fail to get stay order then in all three wards that is ward number 72, 76 and 81 second runner-ups would replace them. Like in place of Kesherben Patel, Congress party candidate Nitin Salagre would come, while Sandeep Naik would replace Murji Patel in ward number 81. Shiv Sena won’t lose in ward number 62 as Changez Multani, independent corporator, is also a supporter of Sena, and would be replaced by Sena candidate Raju Pednekar, the second runner-up.