Bhiwandi भिवंडी
—  city  —
Bhiwandi
Coordinates: 19°17′48″N 73°03′47″E / 19.296664°N 73.063121°E / 19.296664; 73.063121Coordinates: 19°17′48″N 73°03′47″E / 19.296664°N 73.063121°E / 19.296664; 73.063121
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Thane
Government
• Mayor	Yashshri Rajan Kadu
• Municipal Commissioner	Prakash Borse
Elevation	24 m (79 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	9,24,703
Languages
• Official	Marathi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	421 302
Telephone code	02522
Vehicle registration	MH-04

Bhiwandi ( pronunciation (help·info)) is a city, in the district of Thane, in the western state of Maharashtra, in India, located 20 km to the north-east of Mumbai and 15 km to the north-east of Thane city. The exact location of Bhiwandi is 19°17′48″N 73°03′47″E / 19.296664°N 73.063121°E / 19.296664; 73.063121.

Bhiwandi city the headquarters of the taluka of Bhiwandi, comes under the administration of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation. The city is considered a part of the Greater Mumbai metropolitan agglomeration, along with Navi Mumbai and the cities of Kalyan, Thane, Ulhasnagar, Dombivli, Mira-Bhayandar and the Vasai-Virar region. According to the 2011 census, the total population of the Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation area was 9,98,703.

The city of Bhiwandi, known for its textile industry, has the largest number of Power looms in the country^[1] and is sometimes dubbed as 'The Manchester of India'.^[2][3] A major portion of the population is employed by the Power loom sector. The Mumbai-Agra highway (NH-3), passing through Bhiwandi ensures the smooth connectivity of the city with Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and the rest of India.

History[link]

In the early Twentieth century, Bhiwandi was a small town, inhabited by Maharashtrians and Konkani Muslims. The main occupation of the people was agriculture, fishing and hand looms. With the advent of electricity, the hand looms began to be quickly replaced by power looms. It became a hub of the textile industry in the 1930s.Bhiwandi used to have a port on the river known as Kamwadi river. During 16th century the port was situated at area known as Bunder Mohalla. There was trading business of woods & Spices. There used to be a regular business & merchant used to travel frequently. At that period of time merchant was called as “Saudagar” the area used to refer as Saudagar Mohalla.The labour who works for shipping building used to live at place today called as Sutar bada & Hamal bada. The worker who navigates the ship used to live at place today known as Tandel mohalla. King Aurangazeb of Mughal period Bhiwandi city was known by the name of “Islamabad”. He built Mosque by the name of Islamabad Masjid & built Eidgah situated at Eidgah road. There are prominent familys which resides in bhiwandi from early stages are Fakih & Narvel.

The credit for turning Bhiwandi into a textile city goes to one Haji Abdus Samad, an illiterate trader from Uttar Pradesh. "Sona becho aur loha kharido (sell gold and buy iron)" was his slogan.

Economy[link]

The economy of Bhiwandi Nizampur is mostly dependent on the power loom industry. The decline of Mumbai’s textile mills spurred the growth of the power loom sector. In order to meet the demand for grey fabric, power loom centers sprang up in various parts of the State. Textile and migrant workers came in droves to find work at these centers. Bhiwandi Nizampur became the largest power loom centre in the country. The State government estimates that over 40 lakh people are dependent directly or indirectly on the looms of Bhiwandi Nizampur. The Power loom industry is the main reason for huge number of floating population.Bhiwandi is the "richest city in Thane District" according to per capita. Bhiwandi also has became the "highest paid octroi" with the largest godown present in asia which basically own by local politicians in and around Bhiwandi. Bhiwandi is the `mother godown' for several industries and the nodal up-country booking and transit point for several goods transporters owing to the octroi benefits that can be availed of there. The biggest names in the pharma company have their godowns here.[2]

Geography[link]

Bhiwandi Nizampur lies in the Kokan coastal lowland. There are many hills surrounding Bhiwandi, which add to its scenic beauty. The average elevation is 24 m from MSL (Mean Sea Level). The Average Rainfall is 3224 mm. The average annual daytime temperature varies from 28-32 C. The average daytime humidity is 62.5 %

Transportation[link]

The main mode of transport within Bhiwandi Nizampur is the auto rickshaw.Nowadays Omni(Taxi) is also one of the main mode of transport.There are no intra-city buses as of now running within the city, but the Bhiwandi-Nizampur city Municipal Corporation is planning a bus system soon. There are also bus service provided by Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) from Thane station to Narpoli and BEST from Mulund to Narpoli. Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Transport (KDMT) also runs buses on regular interval.

Road

Bhiwandi Nizampur is well connected with the rest of the country because of the Mumbai-Agra Highway (National Highway-3), which passes through it. The highway is one the most important in the country and as a result there is a heavy flow of traffic through Bhiwandi Nizampur, consisting of passenger cars as well as the 18-wheel giant tractor trailers. Two flyovers have been constructed on this highway to smooth traffic. In view of distributing some of the traffic which does not have to make a stop in Bhiwandi Nizampur, an alternate subsidiary road, commonly and appropriately called the Bhiwandi –bypass was built. This 4 lane, well maintained subsidiary road, breaks off from the main highway, in Thane, and meets the highway again, 6 km to the north of Bhiwandi Nizampur, near Shangri-la resort. The Maharashtra State Transport Corporation (MSRTC) runs bus services to various cities in the state as well as neighboring states. The Bhiwandi Nizampur ST (State Transport) Depot is located on the Mumbai-Agra Highway. Buses run every half hour to nearby depots like Mumbai-Central,Thane, Kalyan, Vasai, Wada and Borivli. The Thane Municipal Transport operates bus services from Bhiwandi Nizampur to Thane, and the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Transport operates bus services from Bhiwandi to Kalyan, every 20 minutes. Auto-rickshaws too, run from Bhiwandi to Thane and Kalyan. Jeeps ply from Bhiwandi to the nearby town of Padgha

Railway

The Bhiwandi Nizampur Road Station (code BIRD) lies on the Vasai-Diwa corridor, between the western line and central line. An EMU service runs from Diwa to Vasai. Many mail trains make a stop here. Recently computerized reservation service was installed at this station. There is a necessity for a suburban rail line for Bhiwandi Nizampur. The Metro Rail Corporation plans to connect the Thane-Kalyan line through Bhiwandi Nizampur. This may result in more floating population.

Airway

The nearest airport from Bhiwandi Nizampur is the Mumbai International and Domestic Airport at a distance of around 40 km. Another International Airport is proposed at NAVI MUMBAI.

Demographics[link]

As per the 2001 India Census, Bhiwandi Nizampur city population is of 5, 98,741. Males constitute(3,23,668) 54.05% of the population and females (2,75,073) 45.94%.The estimated population of 2010 is 6,90,413. Males constitute (3, 96,868) 57.48 of the population and females (2, 93,545) 42.51.Floating population is 25,746 and slum population is (3, 05,103) 44.19%. Bhiwandi Nizampur has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy at 72% and female literacy at 56%.The projected population of 2031 is about 24.30 lakhs. The sex ratio in Bhiwandi Nizampur as per census of 2001 was 623 females per 1000 males. This is very poor as compared to national and state average.

References[link]

1. ^ Katakam, Anupama (February 28 - March 12, 2004). "Victims of 'new economy'". Frontline (The Hindu) 21 (5). http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2105/stories/20040312006701200.htm. 
2. ^ Subbu, Ramnath (August 8, 2005). "Deluge takes heavy toll of industry". [The Hindu]. http://www.hindu.com/biz/2005/08/08/stories/2005080800431600.htm. 
3. ^ "The City Of No Joy". The Times of India. 2006-07-10. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1719512,prtpage-1.cms. 

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ADAds

Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar (Marathi: शरदचंद्र गोविंदराव पवार; born 12 December 1940), popularly known as Sharad Pawar), is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress. He has previously held the posts of Minister of Defence and Chief Minister of Maharashtra and currently serves as Minister of Agriculture, Government of India.

Pawar is from the town of Baramati in the Pune district of Maharashtra. He leads the NCP delegation in the Lok Sabha, representing his constituency of Madha in Maharashtra. He has a prominence in national politics as well as regional politics of Maharashtra, although marred by frequent corruption allegations.

Pawar also served as the Chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India from 2005 to 2008. In 2010, Sharad Pawar became the International Cricket Council president after England's David Morgan.^[1]

Early life and family history[link]

Pawar is one of the ten children (six sons and four daughters) born to Govindrao Pawar and Shardabai baramati). Govindrao was employed by the Baramati farmers' Cooperative ( Sahakari Kharedi Vikri Sangh) while his mother looked after the family farm at Katewadi, ten kilometers from Baramati. Most of siblings were well educated and were either professionals or ran their own businesses. Pawar studied at BrihanMaharashtra College of Commerce (BMCC)in Pune. He was an average student, however, active in student politics. Pawar's first political act was when he organized a protest march for Goan Independence in Pravaranagar in 1956.,^[2] Pawar is married to Pratibha (Shinde). They have one daughter, Supriya who is married to Sadanand Sule and now is active in politics. Pawar's nephew, Ajit Pawar is also a prominent politician in his own right and presently serving as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. Pawar's younger brother, Pratap runs the influential Marathi daily, Sakal

Political career[link]

Till 1990[link]

Sharad Pawar entered the Maharashtra legislative assembly for the first time in 1967 from Baramati, representing the undivided Congress Party. Yashwantrao Chavan was the political mentor of Sharad Pawar.^[3]

Pawar broke away from the Congress to form a coalition MODI28 government with the opposition Janata Sangh in 1978 becoming the Chief Minister of Maharashtra for the first time at a time when Indira Gandhi had become incredibly unpopular due to her imposition of Emergency in 1975^{[citation needed]}. This Progressive Democratic Front government was dismissed in February 1980, following Indira Gandhi's return to power at the Centre.

power at the Centre.

In the elections that frty won the majority in state assembly and A.R. Antulay,took over as the chief minister of the state. Pawar took over the Presidency of the Congress in 1981. For the first time, he won Lok Sabha election from Baramati parliamentary constituency in 1984. He also won state assembly elections of March 1985 from Baramati and preferred to continue in state politics for a while and resigned from the Lok Sabha. His party, the Indian Congress (Socialist) won 54 seats out of 288 in the state assembly and he became the leader of the opposition.

His returning to the Congress has been cited as a reason for the rise of the Shiv Sena at that time. In June 1988, Prime Minister of India and Congress President Rajiv Gandhi decided to induct then Maharashtra Chief Minister Shankarrao Chavan into Union Cabinet as Finance Minister and Sharad Pawar was chosen to replace Chavan as chief minister. Sharad Pawar had the task of checking the rise of the Shiv Sena in state politics, which was a potential challenge to the dominance of Congress party in the state^{[citation needed]}. In 1989 Lok Sabha elections, Congress party won 28 seats out of 48 in Maharashtra. In the state assembly elections of February 1990, the alliance between the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party posed a stiff challenge to the Congress. Congress fell short of an absolute majority in the state assembly, winning 141 seats out 288. Sharad Pawar was sworn in as chief minister again on March 4, 1990 with the support of 12 independent MLAs.

Early 1990s[link]

During the course of election campaign, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated. There were reports in the media that Pawar's name was being considered for the Prime Minister's post along with those of P.V. Narasimha Rao and N.D. Tiwari.^[4][5][6] However the Congress Parliamentary Party elected P.V. Narasimha Rao as its leader and he was sworn in as Prime Minister on June 21, 1991. Rao decided to induct Pawar as Defence Minister. On June 26, 1991, Pawar took over as that portfolio, continuing till March 1993. After Pawar's successor in Maharashtra, Sudhakarrao Naik stepped down, Rao sent Pawar back as chief minister of the state.

He was sworn in as chief minister for his fourth and most controversial term^{[citation needed]} on March 6, 1993. Almost immediately, Mumbai, the financial capital of India and the state capital of Maharashtra, was rocked with series of bomb blasts on March 12, 1993.

Mid 1990s[link]

The Deputy Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, G R Khairnar made a series of accusations against Pawar for being involved in corruption and protecting the criminals.^[7][8] Though Khairnar could not produce any evidence in support of his claims, it inevitably affected Pawar's popularity. Notable social worker Anna Hazare started a fast unto death to demand expulsion of 12 officers of the Forest department of Government of Maharashtra, who had been accused of corruption. The opposition parties accused Pawar's government of trying to shield the corrupt officers. The 1994 Gowari stampede occurred at Nagpur during the Winter Session of Maharashtra State Assembly and killed 114 people. Nagpur Police were trying to disperse almost 50000 Gowari protesters using baton charge but it created panic and triggered stampede amongst protesters.^[9] Allegations were made that the mishap occurred because welfare minister Madhukarrao Pichad did not meet with the delegation of the Vanjara people in time. Though Pichad stepped down owing moral responsibility for the mishap, this incident was another setback to Sharad Pawar's government.

The elections to the Vidhan Sabha were due to be held in 1995. The Shiv Sena and BJP combine was leading the Congress in the polls, and thess in the polls, and there was widespread rebellion in the Congress party. The Shiv Sena-BJP combine won 138 seats while Congress party retained only 80 seats in the state assembly. Sharad Pawar had to step down and Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi took over as chief minister on March 14, 1995.

Till the Lok Sabha elections of 1996, Sharad Pawar served as the Leader of the Opposition in State Legislative Council. In the 1996 General elections, he won from the Baramati seat and has not returned to the State Assembly since.

1997 till date[link]

In June 1997, he unsuccessfully challenged Sitaram Kesri for the post of Congress President. In the mid-term parliamentary elections of 1998, Sharad Pawar not only won from his constituency, Baramati but also led the Congress to an emphatic win in Maharashtra. His move to align with the Republican Party of India (Athvale) and Samajwadi Party for the elections in the state brought rich dividents and the Congress party and allies won 37 seats out of 48 in the state. Sharad Pawar served as Leader of Opposition in 12th Lok Sabha.

After 12th Lok Sabha was dissolved and elections to 13th Lok Sabha were due, Pawar, P.A. Sangma and Tariq Anwar demanded that the Congress Party needed to project someone born in India as the Prime Ministerial candidate and not the Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, who had entered party politics and replaced Kesri as Congress President.

In June 1999, Pawar and Sangma founded the Nationalist Congress Party. His party had to align with the Congress party to form a coalition government in Maharashtra as neither party could win an absolute majority on its own in the 1999 assembly elections. Pawar, however, did not return to state politics, and Vilasrao Deshmukh of the Congress was chosen as Chief Minister, with Chagan Bhujbal representing the NCP as his deputy. The alliance has endured at the national and state level to this day.

After 2004 Lok Sabha elections, he joined the United Progressive Alliance government headed by Manmohan Singh as the Minister of Agriculture.

On November 29, 2005, he was elected President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

He was appointed Union Minister of Agriculture and of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution on May 28, 2009

In Jan 2012, He announced that he will not contest the next Lok Sabha election (Upcoming in 2014) and make way for a younger leadership, a move that is bound to create a stir in his party as well as the Congress.^[10] Al though at 71, his retirement plans put the focus on the claims of his nephew Ajit Pawar as also daughter Supriya Sule.

Links with criminals[link]

In 2002–03, the then Maharashtra Chief Minister Sudhakarrao made a statement that the state leader of Indian National Congress party and erstwhile Chief Minister Sharad Pawar, had asked him to "go easy on Pappu Kalani", a well known criminal-turned-politician now.^[11] Shiv Sena Chief, Bal Thakare, had later concurred with these allegations.^[12] Further, Sudhakarrao also alleged that it was possible that Kalani and Hitendra Thakur, another criminal-turned-politician from Virar, had been given tickets to contest election for Maharashtra State Legislature at the behest of Sharad Pawar who also put in a word for Naik with the police when the latter was arrested for his role in post-Babri Masjid Demolition riots in Mumbai.^[13]

Sharad Pawar is also alleged to have close links with the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim^[14] through Ibrahim's henchman Lakhan Singh based in the Middle East and close relationship with Shahid Balwa, also a suspect in the 2G spectrum scam. These allegations were strengthened by the revelation about Balwa's business partner, Vinod Goenka's controversial commercial project in Yerawada, Pune, being constructed on the same survey number as Pawar's family friend, Atul Chordia, had constructed the Panchshil Tech Park. Khadse alleged that it was Balwa who had applied for environmental clearance for the two projects, a charge that Chordia refuted. Coincidentally, Chordia's Panchshil Pvt Ltd has Pawar's daughter, Supriya Sule, and her husband Sadanand as investors.^[15] The state government's decision to hand over a 3-acre plot of the Yerawada police station for "re-development" to Balwa's construction was retracted following Balwa's arrest.

Criticism and allegations of corruption[link]

Stamp-Paper Scam Connection Controversy[link]

Abdul Karim Telgi cited Pawar's name in relation to the 600 billion rupee stamp-paper scam, during a narcoanalysis filmed by various Indian news channels, wherein he also mentioned Chhagan Bhujbal^[16]

Controversial Wheat Imports[link]

In 2007, the BJP asked for Pawar's resignation after alleging he was involved in a multi-crore scam involving wheat imports. In May 2007 a tender floated by the Food Corporation of India for procurement of wheat was cancelled when the lowest bid received was for 263 USD/ton. The government subsequently allowed private traders to purchase wheat directly from farmers that year resulting in a paucity of wheat to stock FCI granaries. By July 2007 the shortage at FCI was large enough to require import of wheat at a much higher price of 320–360 USD/ton. Taking advantage of this, traders who had domestically purchased wheat at 900 INR/ton earlier, were now offering the same to FCI at 1,300 INR/ton.^[17][18]

Land Allotment[link]

On October 27, 2007, the Bombay High Court served notices to institutions headed by Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar and Sadanand Sule (Sharad Pawar's son-in-law) along with a corresponding notice served to the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) on why special privileges were given to Pawar and his family. This was done in consideration of a Public Interest Litigation No. 148 of 2006, filed by Shamsunder Potare alleging that the land said allocations in Pune, made in 2002, were illegal. The institutions and properties mentioned include:

• Two 141.15-acre (0.5712 km²) plots given allotted to Vidya Pratishthan, an educational society headed by Sharad Pawar
• A 2-acre (8,100 m²) plot allotted to Anant Smriti Pratishthan, headed by Ajit Pawar, the Maharashtra state minister for irrigation and Sharad Pawar's nephew
• A 130,000 square metre (32.12 acre) plot allotted to Lavasa Corporation, owned by Sadanand Sule, Sharad Pawar's son-in-law at the time. He handed over his stake in 2006.
• A 1-acre (4,000 m²) plot allotted to Shivajinagar Agriculture College
• A 3-acre (12,000 m²) plot allotted to Sharadchandraji Scout and Guide Training Institute

These allocations were made allegedly under NCP leader and minister Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar who was in charge of MKVDC at the time.^[19][20] Sharad Pawar was served a contempt of court notice on May 1, 2008 in connection with this case for issuing statements to the press even though the matter was subjudice at the time, that was later rejected by the court. Also in connection with the case, the respondents were directed not to create third-party interests in the property under dispute and to undertake any developments at their own risk.^[21][22]

IPL Exemption From Tax Controversy[link]

In 2010, In case of IPL exemption from tax, Shiv Sena MLA Subhash Desai had alleged that state cabinet decided in January this year to impose the tax, before this year's IPL season started, but the decision was not implemented because of NCP chief Sharad Pawar's association with BCCI.^[23] Bombay High Court on August 2010 said there was "nothing on record" to show that the Union Minister influenced the Maharashtra government's decision to exempt Indian Premier League matches from entertainment tax.^[24]

Controversy Faced After Assets Declaration[link]

In 2011, Sharad Pawar declared his assets to be worth 12 crore as part of a mandatory disclosure, but his critics claimed that his wealth far exceeded the stated amount.^[25][26] In 2010, it was alleged that the Pawar family indirectly held a 16% stake in the City Corporation, which had bid 1176 crore for the IPL Pune franchise. Pawar and his family denied the allegations, but the IPL bidder's board resolution contradicted their claims.^[27][28][29]

Nira Radia's Controversial Allegations[link]

In 2011, Under investigation of 2G spectrum scam Corporate Nira Radia has told the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar may be controlling the controversial DB Realty, media reports said on Thursday. According to the reports, she also told the investigative agency that he may have spoken with former telecom minister A Raja about the allocation of spectrum and licence to Swan Telecom. Radia also said that she had no documentary proof to back up her allegation.^[30] Pawar has denied any link with former DB managing director Shahid Balwa who is now in CBI custody.

Criticism Faced After Extreme Hike in Prices of Agricultural Produce[link]

As the Cabinet Minister for Agriculture, Pawar was consistently accused of being incapable of handling the extreme hike in prices of agricultural produce:

• Wheat import in 2007 – Bombay High Court issued notices to Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, questioning the decision to import defective red wheat and to submit details of procurement of the crop from different states and the exact process of importing it.^[31]
• Sugar prices in 2009 – Opposition parties, including the BJP and the CPI(M) accused Sharad Pawar of engineering a steep rise in the price of sugar to the advantage of hoarders and importers.^[32]
• Onion prices in 2010–11 – The opposition have accused him to be responsible on the same issue.^[33][34][35]

Slapping Incident[link]

This section's representation of one or more viewpoints about a controversial issue may be unbalanced or inaccurate. Please improve the article or discuss the issue on the talk page.(December 2011)

Pawar was slapped by a youth named Harvinder Singh at a the New Delhi Municipal Corporation centre while leaving the premises after attending a literary function on 24 November 2011.^[36] The attacker, who previously is said to have assaulted former telecom minister Sukh Ram, was later arrested.

Motivation[link]

Harvinder Singh is an auto-rickshaw driver and has no political affiliations. He said after slapping Pawar in Hindi that 'He is a thief, they are all thieves'. He said that he slapped Pawar because of corruption and price-rise.

Reactions[link]

All leading political parties in India condemned the attack.^[37] Some politicians argued that violence should not be used as a means of raising concern.^[38][39]

The youth who slapped Pawar was highly praised on YouTube^[40] by common people, however politicians argued that violence should not be used as a means of raising concern.^[38][39] There were also several fan pages created on Facebook.^[41][42] There were parallels drawn with revolutionary and martyr Bhagat Singh,^[43] and pages advocating the shaming of more corrupt politicians.^[44]

India Today reported that the opinion of its online readers was in favour of further shaming of corrupt people holding public office.^[45] There was also widespread criticism of the NCP's call for a bandh.^[46][47] DNA India's readers also praised the^[48] attack on Sharad Pawar and expressed happiness that someone of them did this to a corrupt politician like Pawar.

The Times of India reported that Harvinder has been attacked multiple times, since being released from police custody once on January 15 and then again on February 25.^[49]

Kolaveri parody[link]

A parody of Why This Kolaveri Di, a track from a Tamil movie '3' which is honored by YouTube with a Gold Award for getting the most number of hits,^[50] based on the Sharad Pawar slapping incident, known as "Chamaat Song"^[51] (Slap Song) was posted on YouTube . This track is listed in "Top 10 Versions of 'Kolaveri Di' Song"^[52] by the Times of India. The track received 964,729 hits by evening of 2 December 2011, within a week of its release on 25 November.^[53]

Promotion of Endosulfan[link]

Even though Endosulfan has been banned, India is the only one country which is against global banning of Endosulfan. In spite of its known negative health effects, Sharad Pawar made a remark that Endosulfan is not yet proved dangerous. This remark prompted activist Vandana Shiva to call him a corrupt minister.^[54][55][56]

Sports Administration[link]

Pawar has interests in kabbadi, kho kho, wrestling and football. He has served as the head of various sports organizations, including

• Mumbai Cricket Association
• Maharashtra Wrestling Association
• Maharashtra Kabbadi Association
• Maharashtra Kho Kho Association
• Maharastra Olympics Association
• Board of Control for Cricket in India President 2005–2008
• International Cricket Council Vice President^[57]
• International Cricket Council President^[58]

Pawar was president of Pune International Marathon Trust, which host Pune International Marathon for last 22 years.

The Annual Cycling race from Bombay to Pune, is also held c/o. him. Its usually on the Sunday closest to his birthday, 12 Dec.

See also[link]

• Ajit Pawar, Dy. Chief Minister of Maharashtra and MLA, his nephew.
• Supriya Sule, his daughter, MP Loksabha.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• P. K. Ravindranath (February 1, 1992) Sharad Pawar- the making of a modern maratha South Asia Books. ISBN 81-85674-46-9
• Page 23 of the Times of India, New Delhi, Tu of India, New Delhi, Tuesday, December 12, 2006
• Profile at BBC News
• Profile at Govt. of India website

Abu Asim Azmi at a party rally during the 2009 general elections.

Abu Asim Azmi born 8 August 1955, is the state president of Maharashtra Samajwadi Party.^[1] He represented Uttar Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament from November 2002- Nov 2008.^[2]

Abu Asim Azmi is the senior leader of Samajwadi Party, Maharashtra, Mumbai. He is a Member of the Legislative Assembly. He generated controversy when he took his oath in Hindi instead of Marathi and was attacked by fellow legislators (mainly from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) while doing so.^[3]

Political life[link]

Abu Asim Azmi is a well-known politician from the Indian state of Maharashtra. He is the president of Maharashtra unit of the Samajwadi ( Socialist ) Party. Mr Azmi has served a term as a Member of the upper house of the parliament, Rajya Sabha, representing Uttar Pradesh from November 2002 to 2008.

Hailing from Manjir Patti area of Azamgarh district in UP Mr Azmi was elected as a Member of Maharashtra Assembly from two segments during the 2009 Maharashtra assembly elections namely Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar and Bhiwandi (East), which he vacated later as the election rules don't permit one individual to represent two seats at a time. Mr Azmi had on earlier occasions made several unsuccessful attempts to enter the Vidhan Sabha as well as Lok Sabha (Lower House).

In 2004 contesting elections for the first time in his political career, he had lost to Shiv Sena's Yogesh Patil from Bhiwandi assembly constituency. Victory again eluded him during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections where he was pitted against Congress' Gurudas Kamat, Shiv Sena's Gajanan Kirtikar and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's Shalini Thakrey from Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency.

A successful businessman, Mr Azmi entered politics by accident. He was arrested for the 6 March 1993 bomb blasts, which killed more than 250 people. The Mumbai Police had alleged that he was complicit with the perpetrators of the bomb blast by helping them flee the country through his travel agency.

However, in a twist of faith, the Supreme Court of India acquitted him of all the charges after spending a year in jail. To fight the injustice that he suffered at the hands of the establishment, Mr Azmi decided that entering politics was the only recourse. He decided to join Samajwadi Party, which was founded by leading politician Mulayam Singh Yadav of Uttar Pradesh.

He began gaining popularity among Muslims in Maharashtra no sooner he joined politics, particularly those hailing from UP looked up to him as a leader they have been waiting for a long-time as an alternative to Congress and its ally NCP. His popularity can be gauged from the fact that his party won two assembly seats under his leadership during the 1995 Assembly elections in spite of a saffron wave in the aftermath of 1992 riots.

The win was a booster shot for Azmi, who in his inimitable style raised issues concerning Muslims in the state. However, he has had his share of challenges, the biggest jolt of his political career came when two of his lieutenants, Nawab Malik, MLA from Nehru Nagar constituency, and Bashir Moosa Patel, legislator from Umarkhadi constituency, quit the party leaving him in lurch. The party has since become a one-man show since there is no other leader worth his name. He found his true calling again during the 2009 elections when his party came successful on four assembly segments.

He has been bestowed with the title of 'Sher-e-Maharashtra' by his supporters, some also call him 'Quaid-e-Millat'. His political rallies attract good crowds particularly in muslim pockets in Mumbai and Thane, but these numbers have hardly converted into votes as has been proved by multiple local and state elections. Azmi has still managed to strike a chord with Muslims even as he gains popularity in other parts of the state.

All through his career, Azmi's pet issues were the harassment of Muslim youths in the wake of several blasts in Mumbai. He was also the first leader to champion the cause of Mumbra girl Ishrat Jahan, who was killed in a fake encounter by Gujarat police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on the allegations that she was along with her alleged Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operatives planning to eliminate Gujarat CM Narendra Modi.

During his journey as a politician, Azmi continued raising issues like custodial death of Khwaja Yunus, a 27-year-old engineer and an accused in the Ghatkopar blasts of 2002, who was allegedly killed during police custody in January 2003. He has also been campaigning for the release of innocent Muslim youths arrested in the Malegaon blast case. He has been criticised by political parties of all hues for his controversial stands, however Mr Azmi has remained defiant in spite of all criticism. Recently, he had ruffled quite a few feathers when he called for an inquiry into the alleged custodial death of 39-year-old man, Faiz Ahmed Aziz Usmani, who was picked by crime branch in questioning for 13/7 triple blast which had rocked Mumbai.

Away from the Muslim issues, he has started taking on the Shiv Sena and MNS for harassing North Indians. Both Shiv Sena and MNS in particular have been baying for his blood for his stand on North Indians with the MNS taking its enmity further when its legislators assaulted him in the Vidhan Sabha for taking oath in Hindi.

However, an adamant Azmi has continued his tirade against Sena-MNS while at the same time criticising Congress-NCP government for not acting strictly against the two. Azmi has been taking on the Democratic Front government in the assembly by raising issues concerning muslims in Maharashtra.

He is officially the richest elected representative of Maharashtra with cash and assets worth Rs 126 crore (Rs 1.26 billion). Incidentally, his constituency, Mankhurd-Shivaji Nagar, consists of poorest of the poor in Mumbai.

On 30 April, 2012 a Mazgaon metropolitan magistrate's court convicted and sentenced Azmi and four others to two years in jail for allegedly giving provocative speeches to incite communal violence 12 years back.

The case dates back to year 2000 when Azmi had allegedly given a provocative speech at Nagpada in South Mumbai against Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and former Shiv Sena leader Narayan Rane.

Controversy[link]

Indian Mujahideen member Shahzad alleged Abu Azmi helped him stay in Azamgarh before Shahzad orchestrated the 13 September 2008 Delhi bombings.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Samajwadi Party, Mumbai
• Samajwadi Party, Maharashtra