Margaretxro at 01:56, 18 February 2026

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{{Short description|Indian politician}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix =
| name = Abasaheb Khedkar
| honorific-suffix =
| order =
| office1 = [[Ministry of Rural Development Government of Maharashtra|1st Minister of Rural Development (Maharashtra)]]
| term_start1 = 1 May 1960
| term_end1 = 19 November 1962
| predecessor1 = ''position established''
| successor1 = [[S. K. Wankhede]]
| office2 = [[Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee|1st President of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee]]
| predecessor2 = ''position established''
| successor2 = Vinayakrao Patil
| office3 = [[Member of Parliament]], [[Lok Sabha]]
| term_start3 = (1951-1957), (1957
| term_end3 = 1960)
| predecessor3 = ''position established''
| successor3 = [[T. S. Patil]]
| constituency3 = [[Akola Lok Sabha constituency]]<br/>[[Buldhana Lok Sabha constituency]]
| office4 = Member of [[Maharashtra Legislative Assembly]]
| term_start4 = (1962-1967), (1967
| term_end4 = 1972)
| predecessor4 = ''position established''
| successor4 = Manohar Bhikaji Tayade
| constituency4 = [[Akot]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date |df=yes|1901|1|14}}
| birth_place = Khed Tal. [[Morshi]], [[Amravati district]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age |df=yes|1969|05|25|1901|01|14}}
| death_place = [[Amravati]], [[India]]
| nationality = [[India]]n
| party = [[Indian National Congress]]
| otherparty =
| spouse =
| relations =
| children =
| alma_mater =
| occupation =
| profession = Politician
| religion =
| website =
| footnotes =
}}

'''Dr. Gopalrao Bajirao Deshmukh''' alias '''Abasaheb Khedkar''' (14 January 1901 – 25 May 1969), also known as Abasaheb Khedkar was a social activist and a farmers' leader in India. He was the Minister of Rural Development in the first cabinet ministry of [[Maharashtra]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.maharashtrapcc.org/PCC%20Presidents%20of%20Maharashtra.aspx |title=Untitled Page |accessdate=2011-07-31 |url-status = dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727060333/http://maharashtrapcc.org/PCC%20Presidents%20of%20Maharashtra.aspx |archivedate=27 July 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and the first President of [[Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee]].

==Biography==
He was born at Khed in [[Amravati]] district of [[Vidarbha]], [[Maharashtra]] on 14 January 1901.
In 1917, after his matriculation Abasaheb studied Homeopathy from Kolkata.
In 1920, when he was studying at [[Amravati]] Victoria Technical School he came across [[Mahatma Gandhi]] non co-operation movement.
He established Shivaji Boarding in 1923 which later became [[Shivaji Education Society]].<ref name="Philanthropist">{{cite web|title=A great Philanthropist of Vidarbha Region|url=http://www.shivajiakola.org/|publisher=Shivaji Education Society|accessdate=21 January 2009|archive-date=10 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410153619/http://www.shivajiakola.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Political career==

Abasaheb Khedkar was a protagonist of Samyukta Maharashtra and opposed to formation of separate Vidarbha. He wanted all Marathi speaking areas of India to be united under one state of Maharashtra, in the larger interest of [[Marathi people]].{{Citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=November 2017}}
He was one of the signatories of the informal agreement reached in 1953 by Marathi speaking politicians from different regions of Marathi speaking areas on the composition, and organization of the future Maharashtra state. The agreement is popularly known as the [[Nagpur Pact]].{{Citation needed|reason=Your explanation here|date=November 2017}} He was the first president of [[Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110727060333/http://maharashtrapcc.org/PCC%20Presidents%20of%20Maharashtra.aspx Official site.]</ref> He refused to take the position of [[Chief Minister]] of [[Maharashtra]] and preferred to take up the Rural Development portfolio. He was instrumental in implementing [[Panchayat raj]] in Maharashtra in the form of [[District Councils of India|Zilla parishads]] (Equivalent to County or District Councils) in 1962.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Venkatesan|first1=V.|title=Institutionalising panchayati raj in India|date=2002|publisher=published for Institute of Social Sciences by Concept Pub. Co.|location=New Delhi|isbn=9788170229971|page=87|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aNAkjN1b9xQC&q=khedkar+&pg=PA221|accessdate=25 November 2017}}</ref>

==Akola Loksabha==
Khedkar was elected as [[Member of Parliament]] From [[Akola]] Lok Sabha constituency twice and served in the Lok sabha from 1951 to 1960. He resigned from the Lok sabha in 1960 to enter into government of the newly formed state of Maharashtra.

==Akot Vidhansabha==
Khedkar was elected from Akot constituency in 1962 to the first legislative assembly of the newly formed state of Maharashtra.
He was re-elected from the same constituency in the 1967 elections.

==Death and legacy==

* Dr. Abasaheb Khedkar died in 1969 at [[Amravati]].
* Shri Shivaji Arts and Commerce Mahavidyalaya at [[Telhara]] district Akola was renamed in his memory to Dr Gopalrao Khedkar Mahavidyalaya Gadegaon (Telhara).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://drgkmtelh.org/pages/aboutus.htm |publisher=Shri Shivaji Education Society's Dr. Gopalrao Khedkar Mahavidyalaya Gadegaon (Telhara) |title=About us |accessdate=18 July 2012}}</ref>
* A Special cover of the Indian Postal Stamp was issued by the then President Of India, Mrs Pratibha Patil in 2013 at Amravati. Early in Mrs. Patil's career, Abasaheb had been her political mentor.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Singh|first1=Sunaina|title=The First Woman President of India Reinventing Leadership: Pratibha Devisingh Patil|date=2016|publisher=Allied Publishers Pvt. Ltd.|isbn=9788184248166|page=25|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZhOUAwAAQBAJ&q=khedkar&pg=PA25}}</ref> His son was Late Vasantrao Gopalrao Khedkar Retd. IAS and daughter Late Nalini Vasant Deshmukh.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120418050352/http://amravati.nic.in/htmldocs/district.htm About Amravati District]
* [http://www.shivajiedusocamt.org Shri Shivaji Education Society, Amravati]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110727060333/http://maharashtrapcc.org/PCC%20Presidents%20of%20Maharashtra.aspx First MPCC President]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khedkar, Gopalrao}}
[[Category:1969 deaths]]
[[Category:1900s births]]
[[Category:People from Amravati district]]
[[Category:Nehru administration]]
[[Category:India MPs 1952–1957]]
[[Category:India MPs 1957–1962]]
[[Category:Maharashtra MLAs 1962–1967]]
[[Category:Maharashtra MLAs 1967–1972]]
[[Category:Indian homeopaths]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Marathi politicians]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Presidents of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee]]

Gopalrao Bajirao Khedkar - Revision history

Margaretxro at 01:56, 18 February 2026