Govindrao Adik

Govindrao Wamanrao Adik (1939 – 5 June 2015 ^[1]) was a "Rashtriya Sarchitnis" of the Nationalist Congress Party and a Member of Parliament, in the Rajya Sabha. He began his political career as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Vaijapur Taluka in Aurangabad District and then in Shrirampur Taluka in Ahmednagar District.

Biography

He was born in Undirgaon village of Shrirampur Taluka and spent his childhood in "Khanapur" village of Shrirampur Taluka. He began his political career as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Vaijapur Taluka in Aurangabad District and then in Shrirampur Taluka in Ahmednagar District. He belonged to a poor farmer family. His father died two days after Govindraoji's birth. He is a younger brother of the former Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, late Ramrao Adik. Adik had a son and three daughters.

Indian National Congress and Nationalist Congress Party

He served as an Agriculture Minister in the Maharashtra Cabinet from 2003 to 2005. Govindrao Adik, was a close associate of Sharad Pawar before Pawar split from the Indian National Congress (INC) to form his independent base, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Like many leaders at the time, Adik remained in the INC after the split. He commands a substantial mass support in rural, specially western Maharashtra. Adik welcomed the appointment of Ashok Chavan as Chief Minister of Maharashtra and expressed hope that he would retain his clean image and put the party back on track. However, in 2009 Adik expected to be inducted into the state cabinet by the Chief Minister Ashok Chavan. A change was made during the final hour which brought another Congressman Shri Radhekrishna Vikhe Patil, the son of former Union Minister Shri Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, into the Cabinet. This sudden exclusion of his name from the list disappointed Adik, who had been expecting a Ministerial berth ever since 2005.

As one of the longest serving leaders in the INC and a senior member, Adik felt abandoned by the party leadership. Expressing discontent about senior party members being isolated by the INC, in a letter to the United Progressive Alliance Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, Govindrao Adik resigned from the Congress Party membership on the February 29 to join the NCP. On 15 March he addressed a rally in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra with the NCP President Sharad Pawar, where he urged the entire state to back the NCP.

References

• Official list of members of Parliament