Gopal Chinnaya Shetty became an MP for the first time in 2014, when he won the Mumbai North constituency as a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The constituency has previously seen the likes of veteran politicians such as Ram Naik (present governor of Uttar Pradesh ) and Bollywood actor Govinda being elected. Shetty’s win in 2014 marked a win for a BJP candidate after two terms, the previous two elections having been won by Congress candidates.
Shetty has served the party in various capacities. He is a three-time Corporator and a two-time MLA from Borivali constituency. In 2014, he defeated sitting MP Sanjay Nirupam (INC) by a large margin of over 4 lakh votes upon receiving 70.15% of the votes.
He will be contesting from the same constituency in the Lok Sabha elections in Mumbai on April 29th and filed his nomination on April 2, 2019.
Personal Information
- Name – Gopal Chinnaya Shetty
- Age – 65
- Constituency – Mumbai North
- Party- BJP
- Term– 2014- present
- Address– 701, Soma Tower, Gulmohar Society, R.M Bhattad Marg, Chikuwadi, Boriwali West, Mumbai- 400092
- Educational Qualification– Non matric (7th standard)
- Profession– Business [Labour jobs for machinery part repair and plastic items]
- Email helpdeskgopalshetty@gmail.com
- Contact +91 9869011267
- Twitter– @iGopalShetty
Assets and Liabilities
| 2014 | 2019 | |
| Movable Assets | Rs 3,44,51,703 | Rs 5,94,20,029 |
| Immovable Assets | Rs 6,11,66,186 | Rs 9,81,15,203 |
| Total | Rs 9,56,17,889 | Rs 15,75,35,232 |
| Liabilities | NIL | Rs 2,11,36,135 |
Shetty’s total assets have grown by 64% in the last 5 years.
Source-myneta.info (2014); eci.gov.in (2019)
Pending Criminal Cases
There are nine pending criminal cases against Shetty. These include several offences under the IPC, including 1 charge related to criminal intimidation(IPC section 506), 2 charges related to disobedience of order promulgated by public servant(IPC section 332), 2 charges related to being member of an unlawful assembly(IPC section 143), 2 charges related to punishment for rioting( IPC section 147); and several others.
Positions held
- 1 Sep 2014 onward- Member standing committee on Finance; Member, consultative committee, Ministry of Textile.
- 11 May 2016 onward- Member, Joint Committee on the Enforcement of Security Interest and Recovery of Debt Laws and Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment Bill) 2011.
- May 2018 onward- Member, Public Account Committee.
Source- Lok Sabha
MP Performance
Shetty has done well in Parliament attendance, participation in debates, and introduction of Private Members Bill. He is one among nine MPs to have a 100 percent attendance record.
| MP | Attendance | No of Debates | No of Questions Asked | Private Members Bill |
| Gopal Shetty | 100% | 119 | 465 | 32 |
| National Average | 80% | 67.1 | 293 | 2.3 |
| State (Maharashtra) Average | 78% | 68.6 | 607 | 4.8 |
Shetty has introduced 32 private member bills in the Parliament, all of which are pending. Some of the bills that he had introduced are:
- Special Marriage (Amendment Bill) 2018 ( Amendment of Section 4)
- The Cow Protection Authority Bill 2016
- Introduction of the Backward Areas in Metropolitan Cities (Basic Amenities and Other Provisions) Bill, 2016
- Introduction of the Electricity (Priority Supply to Metropolitan Areas) Bill, 2017
- The Prevention of Extravagance and Unlimited Expenditure on Marriages Bill, 2017
Shetty has participated in several debates and especially those related to his constituency and the state of Maharashtra. These include:
- Need to use surplus money lying with RBI and other PSUs for developmental work
- Need to expedite construction of dwelling units for rehabilitation of residents of Jhuggi Jhopri clusters in Mumbai North parliamentary constituency, Maharashtra
- Need to allocate funds for the construction of sanctioned railway line projects in Maharashtra
- Need to provide funds for scholarships to students belonging to backward classes in Maharashtra
- Request to provide compensation to families who lost their houses in Kandivali fire in Mumbai North
For a complete list of the debates and private member bills by Gopal Shetty click here.
Source: PRS Legislative Research
MPLAD Funds
Shetty has not been able to put to use any of the amounts under the MPLAD Funds, as per the works monitoring system register.
| Recommended Amount | Rs 4,49,14,000 |
| Sanctioned Amount | 0 |
| Utilized Amount | 0 |
Shetty has recommended the following types of works in his constituency. 53 works in different areas of the constituency have been recommended, but none has been sanctioned.
- Common work sheds for artisans
- Public toilets and bathrooms
- Computers for Government and Government aided educational institutions.
- Construction of Community Centres.
- Other works for providing drinking water.
- Other public works not covered elsewhere.
- Boundary walls for buildings permissible in the scheme.
Source- Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, GoI
MP in the news
In 2018, Shetty had introduced the Special Marriage (Amendment Bill) 2018 ( Amendment of Section 4). This bill aimed at raising the age of marriage to 21 for women, whose parents haven’t consented and aren’t in agreement with the union. In marriages with parents’ consent, the age would remain at 18.
Shetty explained his rationale for introducing the bill to Mumbai Mirror and stated that at the age of 18 the partners don’t understand the difference between love and infatuation and several such early marriages end up in divorce. He added that the aim of the bill was to prevent such a social menace. This was slammed by activists and opposition parties, stating that it exposes the ruling party’s regressive mindset. This bill was introduced around the time when the Supreme Court upheld Hadiya’s marriage to Shafin Jahan allowing her to stay with her husband.
Shetty in a recent interview with the Indian Express stated that the Balakot air strike has boosted the morale of the people who will vote for the BJP in large numbers
Activists have alleged that nine open spaces in the Borivali-Kandivali belt are directly or indirectly under the control of Gopal Shetty. The plots were developed when Shetty was MLA, as part of the MLA fund. Activists claim that these open spaces haven’t been reclaimed by the authorities and they have been encroached upon by trusts and organizations connected to Shetty.
Residents of Charkop area have stated that Shetty is trying to take over an open space under the guise of beautification. They claim that Shetty wants to build a gymkhana in an open space that is a protected site as per Bombay High Court Order in 2006.
He was at the centre of controversy yet again, when in 2018, he stated that Christians weren’t part of India’s freedom struggle. The BJP released a statement stating that they didn’t support such statement, and Shetty later apologized for his remarks.