Gajanan Kirtikar, who joined hands with Eknath Shinde, says that SRA schemes should be allowed for Aarey residents to save the forest.

As India gets ready to vote to decide who will represent them in Parliament, Citizen Matters is speaking to elected Parliamentary representatives from Mumbai. We will ask them about the work they have done for the city, policies they have supported and why Mumbaikars should cast votes in their favour (or of their political parties). As part of this series, we spoke to Gajanan Kirtikar, who represented Mumbai North West for the past two terms.

He is an active Parliamentarian who was one of top 10 MPs who asked the maximum number of questions during their tenure, according to a report by Association for Democratic Reforms. Kirtikar, who had been a Bal Thackeray loyalist for decades, joined the faction of Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena. His son Amol Kirtikar, however, has chosen to stay back with Uddhav Thackeray’s Sena.

A proponent of the Metro car shed at Aarey, he seeks rehabilitation housing for those residing within Aarey. Beyond his political persona, he is also active in various sporting associations as administrator. Kirtikar has played a key role in organising national and international tournaments particularly in sports like Kabaddi and body building.

Mumbai North West and Gajanan Kirtikar

Gajanan Kirtikar has been the elected representative of this area in various capacities for around 30 years. The constituency that comprises Andheri, Versova, Jogeshwari, Goregaon and parts of Malad has varied demography – fishing community, large population in informal settlements belonging to minorities, diverse groups -rich and poor- belonging to the entertainment industry and above all, the Aarey forest.