- Name: Gajanan Kirtikar
- Constituency: Mumbai North West
Gajanan Kirtikar, 80 is an old hand in Maharashtra politics and has risen up the ranks of his party. He has always been with the Shiv Sena, having been part of the core team of Bal Thackeray, subsequently working under Uddhav Thackeray. He chose to move to the Shiv Sena faction led by present chief minister Eknath Shinde.
He served as a legislator for four terms between 1990 to 2009 and then entered the Parliament for two terms from 2014. He also served as the minister of state for home and tourism and later as Maharashtra’s cabinet minister for transport. However, he is better known for his work in securing employment for many in government, docks, railways, banking, insurance and finance sectors through the Sthaniya Lokadhikar Samiti Mahasangh.
Unfortunately for him, the split of Shiv Sena also affected him on a personal level – his son Amol Kirtikar chose to stay back with the Uddhav faction. He has been declared as a candidate for the Lok Sabha candidate by Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Shiv Sena from the Mumbai North West constituency. It is not clear if Gajanan Kirtikar will get a ticket from the Shinde faction.
Beyond his political persona, he is also active in various sporting associations as administrator. He has played a key role in organising national and international tournaments, particularly in sports like Kabaddi and bodybuilding.
The Mumbai North West constituency comprises areas such as Andheri, Jogeshwari and Goregaon.
Who is Gajanan Kirtikar?
| Name | Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar |
| Age | 80 years |
| Political Party | Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) |
| Educational Qualification | BA (Economics) from DG Ruparel College, Mumbai |
| Profession | Agriculturist, Consultant |
| Enrolled as Voter in | Serial no 163 in Part no 182, Mumbai North West constituency |
| gajanan.kirtikar@yahoo.com | |
| Contact Number | +91-22-29270262/9821114872/+91-11-23359303 |
| Address | 503, Snehadeep Pahadi School, RD 2, Aarey Road, Goregaon (East) Mumbai – 400 063 |
- Website: https://www.gajanankirtikar.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GajananKirtikar
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gajanankirtikar/?hl=en
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PCMohanBJP
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/GajananKirtikar
Criminal cases
Gajanan Kirtikar does not have any criminal cases against him.
Assets and liabilities
Gajanan Kirtikar’s assets and liabilities have both shown a steep rise. Total assets – including movable and immovable – have risen by 50%.
Details | Holdings in 2019 | Holdings in 2014 | Rise in 5 years |
| Movable assets | 2,86,28000 | Rs. 2,22,33,000 | Rs 63,95,000 |
| Immovable assets | 7,67,63000 | Rs.3,61,19,000 | Rs 4,06,44,000 |
| Total Assets (Movable + Immovable) | 10,53,92,000 | 5,19,32,000 | Rs 5,34,60,000 |
| Liabilities | 40,23,000 | Rs 22,57,000 | 17,66,000 |
Read more: Lok Sabha 2024: Know your MP – Gopal Shetty, Mumbai North
Important posts held by Gajanan Kirtikar
- In 17th Lok Sabha (2019-2024)
- Standing Committee Membership — Home Affairs
- Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of youth affairs and sports.
- In 16th Lok Sabha (2014-2019):
- Member – National Shipping Board
- Member – Telephone Advisory Committee for Mumbai West (West -II)
- Member, Consultative Committee, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
- Member- Standing Committee on Railways
- Member -Public Accounts Committee
- 1998-1999 – Cabinet Minister for Transport, Information & Public Relations, Govt of Maharashtra
- 1995 – 1998 – Minister of State for Home, Tourism
- Guardian minister – Thane, Nanded, Gadchiroli and Vidarbha, government of Maharashtra.
- 1990 – 2009 – Member, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (Four Terms)
Gajanan Kirtikar’s performance in Parliament
| MP | Attendance | No of Debates participated | No of questions asked | Private Member’s Bill |
| Gajanan Kirtikar | 71% | 41 | 580 | 0 |
| National average | 79% | 46.7 | 210 | 1.5 |
| State (Mah) average | 74% | 57.6 | 386 | 2.9 |
Gajanan Kirtikar has raised questions about slum redevelopment and allocations of funds for metro projects among others. Similarly, he also raised questions about the issue of long waiting periods to adopt children, about the need to review drug price control mechanisms. He also raised the issue of compensation for fishermen affected by the Tauktae cyclone.
Most of his questions in Parliament pertain to issues related to transport such as trains, roads, metro network and if toll points on national highways could be shut down.
He has also discussed about implementation of the Smart Cities Mission and policies on exporting rice and cars. He also focussed on drawing attention on subjects like starvation deaths, to check if tatkal ticketing system was being misused by unscrupulous agents. He raised questions about the national policy for the elderly and old age home facilities. He also asked about the possibility of linking Aadhaar with election card.
Gajanan Kirtikar’s MPLADS spending
| Entitlement received for Mumbai North West constituency (2019-24) | Rs 17 cr |
| Recommended amount for work | Rs 19.34 cr |
| Amount sanctioned | Rs 12.28 cr |
| Funds released | Rs 9.5 cr |
| Expenditure incurred | Rs 6.99 cr |
| Unspent balance | Rs 2.82 cr |
| % of utilisation of funds | 71.57% |
Kirtikar says that he has been successful in getting grants and aid for his constituency beyond the entitled local area development fund of Rs 5 crore per annum. For instance, he was able to get funds worth Rs 131.94 crore in his second term between 2019-2024, including Rs 61.73 crore from the urban development department, Rs 12.39 crore from the tourist sites development fund programme, Rs 4.99 crore for improving sanitation in slums.
He also got Rs 7 crore for the protection wall fund programme towards building walls around the forest to prevent leopards from straying into residential complexes. He is currently trying to build a new jetty at Versova and got approval for a train terminus for long-distance trains at Jogeshwari.
Similarly, he had managed to get funds worth Rs 46.50 crore for various public utility services during his first term for the years 2014-19.
Gajanan Kirtikar in news
Gajanan Kirtikar has been more in the news for the tussle with his son, Amol Kirtikar as much as the exchange of barbs with ex-Shiv Sena colleague Ramdas Kadam. The shift of allegiance of Kirtikar, from the Uddhav Thackeray camp to the Eknath Shinde wing of the Shiv Sena, was also much written about.
He has more in the news for his political activities rather than regarding his civic issues or even issues concerning his constituency. Though he has served as a member of Parliament from Aarey for about a decade, he has never been very vocal about it.
During his tenure, Gajanan Kirtikar came out in favour of the construction of the metro car shed in Aarey, even as residents opposed the plan to cut trees in the much needed lung space for the city.
The right-wing leader led a campaign for the naming of the Ram Mandir Railway station serving the Oshiwara locality. He has agitated in front of the parliament along with fellow Shiv Sena MPs demanding classical language status for Marathi.
Citizen speak
Narendra Soneji, an active resident of Andheri west says a lot can be done for his locality. He says the root of the problem is lack of urban planning, adding that foresight to handle evolving needs of the city is crucial.
Citing redevelopment as a major change driver, Soneji feels that the city leadership needs to think through concerns like additional need for resources like water.
He is also aghast that the Gokhale-Barfiwala bridge design blunder, which has led to a 6-ft gap between the bridges, could be allowed to happen. That blunder has directly impacted access for citizens like him.
Though implementation of the metro network has improved connectivity in his locality, Soneji feels that the names of metro stations need to be changed to avoid confusion. He also raises the problem of indisciplined public behaviour such as double parking and encroachments on footpaths, that have marred last mile connectivity.
Also read:
- Nine years of ‘Save Aarey’: The unique citizens’ movement lives on in Mumbai
- Mumbai N-W candidates: Son of the soil, former Mumbai North MP and UP MLA seek votes from diverse base
- Gajanan Kirtikar, Mumbai North West : Shiv Sena veteran seeks reelection as strong local voice in Parliament
- Explainer: How to find your electoral constituency in Mumbai