(Representational Image)Congress’ Nitin Salagre, one of the runners-up in the civic polls in Mumbai in 2017, has approached the Bombay High Court (HC), seeking directions to quash and set aside a State Election Commission (SEC) notification calling for bypolls in four seats in Mumbai whose corporators have been disqualified.
Salagre, who was defeated by BJP’s Kesharben Patel in Jogeshwari East, was hopeful of becoming a corporator after the Supreme Court (SC) disqualified Patel along with three other corporators for providing invalid caste certificates.
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Earlier, in December 2018, Congress corporator Steffi Kini from Manori, Malad West, was disqualified by the HC for the same reason.
Salagre told the court that after the civic poll results were declared, being the runner-up he immediately filed a petition before the Small Causes Court challenging the election of Kesharben Patel mainly on the ground that she is not entitled to contest elections from Ward No. 76, which was reserved for the backward class.
The petition is pending before the court.
Salagre’s lawyers Sanjeev Kadam and Chintamani Bhangoji sought interim relief before the vacation bench of Justice A S Gadkari and Justice N J Jamadar, seeking a stay on the notification till the case is pending before the Small Cause Court.
