Bala Nandgaonkar, who was a Shiv Sena corporator, came to fame in 1995 when he defeated the then PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal in his own Mazgaon assembly constituency. He came to be known as a giant killer. Almost 30 years after that he is contesting against Shiv Sena MLA Ajay Chaudhari from the Shivadi assembly constituency, which is known as the bastion of Shiv Sena. If Nandgaonkar beats Chaudhari, he shall create history again, as the Shiv Sena will face defeat in a constituency where it had never been defeated in the past.
Born on June 1, 1957, in Mazgaon, Mumbai to Rakhma and Dagdu Nandgaonkar, Bala grew up in Taadwadi area of Mazgaon, where he also started participating in social activities. The innate desire to serve people pushed him towards Shiv Sena, which was more of a platform to resolve small societal issues than a political party back then. Balasaheb Thackeray became the guiding force for Bala and soon he was known for resolving civic issues by the locals. This skill with people forced the party to make him contest the BMC election and he became a corporator. Nandgaonkar married Leena in 1999 and the couple has a daughter.
His loyalty towards Thackeray helped him stay with Shiv Sena even when the local MLA Chhagan Bhujbal switched over to the Congress and became a minister. Nandgaonkar’s loyalty forced the party to make him contest assembly election in 1995 and he became a giant killer. When the party came to power in 1995, he became the minister of state for home. This was a big leap that shaped his career. He represented the Mazgaon seat in the state legislature for next three consecutive terms after that. He was recognized as the Best Legislator in the Maharashtra Assembly in 1995 and received the Best Legislator Award from the President of India.
In the meanwhile, in 2006 Raj Thackeray quit Shiv Sena to form Maharashtra Navanirman Sena (MNS) and Bala Nandgaonkar was the only MLA in office to quit the party with him to form a new party. He won 2009 election as the member of MNS. In 2014, however, he lost to Ajay Chaudhary of Shiv Sena from the Shivadi constituency and didn’t contest any election after that. That is also another reason why this election matters more to him.
Nandgaonkar has also been involved in social service activities, such as organizing SSC guidance camps for children, walking marathons for senior citizens, cricket tournaments, and recruitment camps with large private entities in his constituency. He has also worked on projects like the renovation and beautification of the Raey Road crematorium and the creation of a “Senior Citizens House” for senior citizens to gather and address issues.
In addition to his political and social work, Nandgaonkar has been the President of the Maharashtra State Carrom Association.
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