Big shock for BJP, NCP as who is Dhananjay Sawant? Early life, education, and the independent leader making headlines in Maharashtra

Independent candidate Dhananjay Sawant stunned Maharashtra politics by winning from Jawala after rebelling against Shiv Sena, defeating party-backed rivals and emerging as a strong grassroots leader in Dharashiv.

Hailing from Jawala village in Paranda taluka, Dharashiv district in Maharashtra; BJP’s Dhananjay Sawant became independent Maharashtrian candidates who won in the recently concluded Maharashtra state Assembly elections. This is not the first time that Dhananjay Sawant fighting elections as an independent candidate from Jawala, Maharashtra but this time people have voted for him which eventually helped him to grab eyeballs all over Maharashtra.

Family Details

Dhananjay Sawant is the nephew of former Maharashtra minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Tanaji Sawant. Even though Dhananjay Sawant comes from a political family but he has made a name for himself on the ground level over the years.

Childhood & Early Life

Dhananjay Sawant was born and brought up in Jawala village located in Paranda. From a young age he used to understand the problems faced by people of his village such as grampanchayat issues, farmer issues, water scarcity and lack of basic infrastructure. These were some of the key issues that drove him towards politics at a local level.

Growing up, villagers recall him as an active participant in gram sabha meetings from a very young age. “He always used to participate in social work irrespective of his age,” a villager recalled.

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Education

As far as educational qualification is concerned, there is not much information available on the internet about Sawant. However, reports state that he has completed his schooling from Dharashiv.

According to villagers, Sawant has completed his schooling from the Dharashiv region and understands the ground reality very well. “He may not have appeared for any graduation or postgraduation but what he has learnt from the ground level and social politics is enough,” claimed another villager.

Political career

Dhananjay started his public life by assisting local Shiv Sena leaders in the region and doing work for the constituency. Over a period of time he created his fan base and developed good relations with the people of the locality which majorly consisted of farmers, youth and small traders.

Due to lack of party ticket, Sawant decided to contest elections independently from Jawala and the result was phenomenal. In an interview with DNA, Sawant claimed that he wanted to fight election against his own party but he never thought that people will vote for him.

Winning independently from Jawala

Dhananjay fought his election by connecting with people at their homes and conducting village sabha meetings. According to people, his connect with the region as a local leader mattered the most and he was treated more as a villager first and a politician later.

Talking about the independent win by Dhananjay, political expert Praful Laad claimed that people are slowly shifting their preferences from party affiliated candidates to independent ones who have good mass appeal.

Future Plans

With this massive win under his belt, Dhananjay Sawant will definitely be a force to reckon with in near future politics of Dharashiv and surrounding regions be it as an independent candidate or with a party by his side.