Prof Varsha Gaikwad appointed first woman President of Mumbai Congress

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday appointed veteran leader Prof. Varsha Gaikwad as the first-ever woman President of the powerful Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC), as per an official announcement.

A former three-time state minister, she will replace the incumbent Ashok alias Bhai Jagtap who served in the position since December 2020.

Incidentally, Prof Gaikwad's father, the late Eknath Gaikwad had also served as the MRCC President from 2017-2020, and she becomes the first woman ever to head the city party unit, according to her senior colleagues.

Hailing from an Ambedkarite-Buddhist family, Prof Gaikwad - an MSc in Mathematics - taught at the Siddharth College, Mumbai, and has also served as a four-time MLA from 2004 onwards, from Dharavi constituency in the south-central part of the city.

She was appointed a Minister of State in 2009, later elevated to Cabinet rank till 2014, and also re-appointed with Cabinet status when the Maha Vikas Aghadi government ruled from November 2019-June 2022.