Former IAS trainee Puja Khedkar’s father, Dilip Khedkar’s election affidavit has raised doubts over his marital status as he prepares to contest the upcoming Maharashtra elections.

Dilip is contesting the November 20 parliamentary elections as an independent from the Ahmednagar South constituency.

In his recent nomination papers, he revealed that he was divorced, contrary to the affidavit filed during the Lok Sabha election, in which he declared himself married to Manorama Khedkar, according to an India Today report .

He had unsuccessfully contested this year’s general elections on a Vanchit Bahujan party ticket from Ahmednagar parliamentary constituency.

In the affidavit filed during the Lok Sabha polls, Dilip revealed that Manorama Khedkar was his wife and detailed their joint properties. He also described his household as an “undivided Hindu family”.

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According to the report, Dilip and Manorama Khedkar had filed for divorce in 2009 in a Pune family court by mutual consent and the separation was finalized on June 25, 2010.

Despite the divorce, the couple reportedly lives together in a bungalow in Baner area of ​​Pune, owned by Manorama Khedkar.

Puja Khedkar was caught in the eye of a storm earlier this year following her selection in the Union Public Service Commission exam for civil services through a disability quota based on false documents. She was suspended by the Public Service Union Commission for allegedly misrepresenting information in her application for the position of UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022 to avail reservation benefits. She has denied all accusations against her.

During her mock interviews at various academies in Delhi, Puja claimed that her family income was zero because her parents were divorced, adding that she lived with her parents. However, in his election affidavit to the Lok Sabha, Dilip declared properties worth Rs 40 crore.