KellyeZimmermann at 20:30, 29 April 2026

2026-04-29T20:30:29Z

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{{Short description|Indian politician and political spokesperson}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2025}}
{{Infobox politician
| name = Anish Gawande
| image =
| office = National Spokesperson, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction)
| term_start = August 2024
| party = Nationalist Congress Party
| occupation = Politician, activist, writer
| known_for = First openly gay national spokesperson of a major Indian political party
| relations = [[Trimbak Krishna Tope]] (grandfather)
}}

'''Anish Gawande''' is an Indian politician, LGBTQ+ rights advocate, and a national spokesperson of the [[Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar|Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction)]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Welfare policies must be inclusive of queer people: NCP-SP spokesperson Anish Gawande |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/welfare-policies-inclusive-queer-people-ncpsp-anish-gawande-9602228/ |work=The Indian Express |date=2024 |access-date=19 December 2025}}</ref> He is recognised as the first openly gay individual to be appointed as a national spokesperson of a major political party in India.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |title=Meet India’s first openly gay national spokesperson of a political party |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/meet-indias-first-gay-national-spokesperson-of-a-political-party/articleshow/112437059.cms |work=The Times of India |date=2024 |access-date=19 December 2025}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Gawande was raised in Mumbai and attended Greenlawns School, Worli, and Cathedral and John Connon School, Fort. He studied Comparative Literature at [[Columbia University]] and later pursued postgraduate studies in intellectual history and public policy at the [[University of Oxford]] as a Rhodes Scholar.<ref name=":0" />

== Activism and early career ==
Prior to joining party politics, Gawande worked as a writer and LGBTQ+ rights advocate. He founded '''Pink List India''', a public archive documenting Indian politicians who have expressed support for LGBTQ+ rights, aimed at increasing visibility and political accountability on queer issues.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Orange is for energy & enthusiasm: Anish Gawande |url=https://www.femina.in/trending/achievers/orange-is-for-energy-enthusiasm-anish-gawande-shivan-gupta-287448.html |magazine=Femina |date=2024 |access-date=19 December 2025}}</ref>

== Political career ==
In August 2024, Gawande was appointed as a national spokesperson of the [[Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar|Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction)]].<ref name=":1">{{cite news |title=Welfare policies must be inclusive of queer people: NCP-SP spokesperson Anish Gawande |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/welfare-policies-inclusive-queer-people-ncpsp-anish-gawande-9602228/ |work=The Indian Express |date=2024 |access-date=19 December 2025}}</ref> His appointment was widely described as historic due to him being openly gay, marking a milestone for LGBTQ+ representation in Indian politics.<ref name=":0" />

== Political views ==
In 2025, Gawande commented on a controversy involving online content creators and the proposed Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, cautioning that disproportionate outrage over remarks by a YouTuber could be used to justify excessive regulation of digital media and independent creators.<ref name=":1" />

Gawande criticised the Supreme Court's order concerning stray dogs in Delhi-NCR, writing on X that the directive was “nothing but a death sentence for every single stray on every single street” and urging the public to raise their voices in opposition to the ruling, which he viewed as harmful to animal welfare.<ref>{{cite news |title=‘Cruel, shortsighted, strips us of compassion’: Rahul Gandhi slams Supreme Court’s order on stray dogs in Delhi-NCR |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/cruel-shortsighted-rahul-gandhi-supreme-courts-order-stray-dogs-delhi-ncr-10184249/ |work=The Indian Express |date=2025 |access-date=19 December 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Narayan |first=Priyanjali |date=2025-08-22 |title=Street dogs case: Who's emerged victorious after Supreme Court's verdict? |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/stray-dog-case-supreme-court-which-side-won-animal-lovers-shelters-debate-vaccinate-heres-more-2775195-2025-08-22 |access-date=2025-12-19 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>

In Maharashtra politics, Gawande condemned controversial remarks made by a BJP legislator against senior opposition leaders, calling them a “new low” in public discourse.<ref>{{cite news |title=NCP factions unite against BJP MLA Gopichand Padalkar for comments on Jayant Patil |url=https://www.freepressjournal.in/pune/ncp-factions-unite-against-bjp-mlc-gopichand-padalkar-for-comments-on-jayant-patil-video |work=Free Press Journal |date=2025 |access-date=19 December 2025}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Gawande is openly gay and has spoken publicly about the challenges of being openly queer in Indian political spaces.<ref name=":0" />

== See also ==
* [[LGBT rights in India]]
* [[Nationalist Congress Party]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gawande, Anish}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Nationalist Congress Party politicians]]
[[Category:Indian LGBTQ politicians]]
[[Category:Gay politicians]]
[[Category:Indian gay men]]
[[Category:Columbia University alumni]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Anish Gawande - Revision history

KellyeZimmermann at 20:30, 29 April 2026