Gajanan Kirtikar: Shiv Sena MLA From Malad With Long Political Journey

Here we talk about Mr. Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar who was born on the 3rd of September 1943 in Karwar which was then part of Bombay Province under British India, and long time before India became modern and big.

Personal Information

He grew up with Marathi identity then youth energy and that sense of regional pride that Shiv Sena used to speak a lot about, that then made him enter politics with Shiv Sena and started fighting for local people especially in the western suburbs of Mumbai.

So he became known in Malad area and that is how his political life really began to move forward with struggle and campaigns and presence in the community and that shape of a local warrior image in politics.

Early Political Journey

His real political debut came when in 1990 he contested and won the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly seat from Malad Vidhan Sabha constituency, and that was big because Malad was a busy Mumbai suburb with poor infrastructure and big civic problems.

Then he took that responsibility and served that role for many years as a grassroots Shiv Sena MLA, so the people saw him working on housing, transport, water, jobs and other real life issues for local residents.

Then because he stayed with party for long and was loyal to the local Marathi cause and Sena movement, he was re-elected multiple times, in 1995, in 1999 and again in 2004. Hence, four continuous terms as MLA from Malad which showed that he was strong in that area and people trusted him with assembly seat for almost two decades.

Then his role got bigger and he got minister positions in Maharashtra government when Shiv Sena was allied with Bharatiya Janata Party in state politics.

Thus from 1995 to 1998 he was a Minister of State for Home and Tourism in Maharashtra, but that was not all, he then became Cabinet Minister for Information, Public Relations and Transport in 1998–1999 which was important charge because transport and PR were key public facing departments where a minister could touch people’s lives, so his name grew there too.

Other Activities

Beyond government work, Kirtikar also worked in party and social organisations like Sthaniy Lokadhikar Samiti Mahasangha — a local rights committee that fought for job rights and local employment for Marathi youth — and that made him connected with common people beyond just elections.

Big Political Achievements

Now comes a big leap in his life, when in 2014 he switched from state politics to national level and contested Lok Sabha election from Mumbai North West seat that included Malad region too, and he defeated Congress veteran Gurudas Kamat with a big margin which was surprising for many.

Because that was a strong Congress area before, so this win showed his political weight and how Sena workers mobilised votes there.

Then he was re-elected in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, again from the same Mumbai North West seat defeating Congress candidate Sanjay Nirupam with an even bigger margin — this solidified his position as a senior national MP for Shiv Sena and made him an important voice in Parliament.

Now in recent years Shiv Sena went through major turmoil with splits and rival factions, so Kirtikar sided with Eknath Shinde’s faction of Shiv Sena after the big party divide around 2022, which made big headlines and that shift was seen as a major political move. Because he was an old guard leader joining the Shinde group while some others stayed with Uddhav Thackeray faction.

Then since he was senior and respected in leadership circles, in March 2023 the Shinde-led Shiv Sena appointed him as the Leader of the Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party, replacing Sanjay Raut in that powerful role inside Parliament where he represents party discipline and strategy for the Lok Sabha members. Therefore his status in the party structure became very high inside the Shinde camp.

Family Incidents

This part was contentious too because his personal family had drama — his son Amol Kirtikar stayed with the Uddhav Thackeray faction while Gajanan joined Shinde faction, so on election day his wife even supported the son which created news and tension in media about family politics and loyalty issues because this kind of split was emotional for local supporters too.

Some Political Disagreements

Now more recent events included some disagreements inside party when Gajanan made statements that seemed supportive of opposition alliance or MVA in general which angered some Shinde supporters, indicating how political life is messy and complicated and how even senior leaders struggle with balancing statements and party discipline. Thus that created more internal political conversation about his position.

As an MP he has spoken on local problems in Parliament, from transport issues in Mumbai to civic infrastructure and urban growth challenges.

However off late in 2024 general elections he lost the Lok Sabha seat to Ravindra Waikar which marked a significant point in his long political journey because after ten years in Parliament he had to step back and there were mixed reactions from supporters and critics alike.

Conclusion

So now when we look back at Gajanan Kirtikar’s political life then we see this pattern — he started from local assembly politics in Malad suburbs then became long-serving MLA, state minister, party leader, national MP and parliamentary leader in Shiv Sena.

All these happened while navigating party splits and internal politics, that is why many people remember him as one of the old Shiv Sena veterans from Malad region, with both critics and supporters describing him as strong figure in Marathi and Mumbai politics for decades.

Quick Reference Table

Aspect	Details
Full Name	Gajanan Chandrakant Kirtikar
Date Of Birth	3 September 1943
Birth Place	Karwar, Bombay Province, British India
Political Party	Shiv Sena (Earlier Uddhav faction, later Eknath Shinde faction)
Political Base	Malad, Mumbai
Early Political Role	Grassroots Shiv Sena worker in Mumbai suburbs
First Major Election Win	MLA from Malad Vidhan Sabha constituency in 1990
MLA Tenure	1990, 1995, 1999, 2004 (Four consecutive terms)
Ministerial Roles	Minister of State for Home and Tourism (1995–1998)
Cabinet Minister Role	Information, Public Relations and Transport (1998–1999)
Social Organization	Sthaniy Lokadhikar Samiti Mahasangha
Entry Into National Politics	Elected to Lok Sabha in 2014
Lok Sabha Constituency	Mumbai North West
Major Electoral Wins	Defeated Gurudas Kamat (2014), defeated Sanjay Nirupam (2019)
Parliamentary Role	Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party Leader (2023)
Party Shift	Joined Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena after 2022 split
Family Political Split	Son Amol Kirtikar with Uddhav Thackeray faction
Controversies	Statements seen as soft towards MVA alliance
2024 Lok Sabha Result	Lost Mumbai North West seat to Ravindra Waikar
Political Image	Senior Shiv Sena veteran with long Mumbai political influence