Vinod Tawde Wiki, Age, Caste, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Vinod Tawde is an Indian politician. He is the senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) who started his political career as a student activist of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and rose to the level of General Secretary of the BJP. He served in many key positions in the Maharashtra government including leader of opposition during Prithviraj Chavan’s government and minister of education, sports, culture and Marathi language during Devendra Fadnavis‘ government.

Wiki/Biography

Vinod Tawde was born on Saturday, 20 July 1963 (age 60 years; as of 2023) in the Girangaon area of Bombay (now Mumbai), Maharashtra, India. His zodiac sign is Cancer. In 1978, Vinod Tawde completed his secondary school education at St. Anthonia High School, Santacruz, Mumbai, and higher secondary education at Parle College, Vile Parle, Mumbai. In 1984, he pursued a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics at Sant Dnyaneshwar University, Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 8″

Weight (approx.): 65 kg

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Family

Vinod Tawde belongs to the Maratha community of Maharashtra.

Parents & Siblings

Vinod’s father, Shreedhar Ramchandra Tawde, was an RSS member. His mother, Vijaya Tawde, was a homemaker; she passed away on 10 April 2023.

Vinod has three siblings, two brothers, Vilas, and Vivek, and a sister, Jayashree Kadam.

Wife & Children

Vinod Tawde got married to Varsha Pawar Tawde; she is a social worker and writer. The couple has a daughter, Anvee Tawde.

Religion

Vinod Tawde follows Hinduism.

Caste

Vinod belongs to the Maratha community. They are Marathi-speaking people whose ancestors were Kshatriya.

Address

Vinod Tawde resided at C-302, Matoshree Residency, Prarthana Samaj Road, Vile Parle (East), Mumbai – 400057, till 2019. In 2020, he shifted to 6-A, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg, near ITO, New Delhi, 110002. ^[1]Vinod Tawde

Signature/Autograph

Career

Vinod Tawde began his political career in 1980 by joining the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), an RSS-affiliated organisation. In 1988, Vinod was appointed Secretary-General of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, and in 1993 he rose to the National Secretary position.

In 1995, Vinod joined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an active member. He was appointed General Secretary of BJP-Maharashtra; he served as the General Secretary of the party for four years. In 1999, he became the youngest president of the Mumbai region of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He served as party president for twelve years. In 2008, Vinod was elected to the legislative council of Maharashtra. In 2011, he was chosen as the leader of the opposition in the legislative council during Prithviraj Chavan’s government.

In 2014, Vinod Tawde won the Maharashtra assembly election from the Borivali constituency by a margin of 80,000 votes and became a member of the legislative assembly.  Devendra Fadnavis placed him in his cabinet as the Minister of School Education, Higher & Technical Education, Marathi Language, Cultural Affairs & Sports. ^[2]The Times of India

During his tenure, he took many initiatives of public interest including the Human Organ Transplantation Act, the Maharashtra International Education Board, and  Pustakanch Gaav.

In 2019, he was appointed National Secretary of the BJP, and in 2021, General Secretary of the party under the presidentship of Jagat Prakash Nadda.

Controversies

Fake Degree Controversy

In 2015, the leader of the opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil demanded Tawde’s resignation over his invalid bachelor’s degree of engineering in electronics from Sant Dnyaneshwar University, Pune. Reportedly, Sant Dnyaneshwar University, Pune was neither affiliated with University Grant Commission (UGC) nor with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). In 2005, the High Court of Maharashtra ordered that Sant Dnyaneshwar University, Pune, does not have the right to award degrees and the degrees issued before 2005 are invalid.

To defend himself, Vinod Tawde told to media that,

I have mentioned it in all my election affidavits and I did not cheat anyone. I did not take any benefits that are due to graduates in passport, nor did I register myself as a voter in Graduates’ Constituency. A bridge course was started at the Vidyapeeth with the objective of imparting practical experience to students along with theoretical knowledge. I took admission to the course in 1980 and passed out in 1984. The course comprised part-time education and part-time internship. I was aware of the fact that the university is not recognised by the government and I was fine with it.” ^[3]DNA

Orders arrest of a student over the recording of a Public interaction

In 2019, Vinod Tawde was interacting with the journalism students of a college in Amravati when a student asked a question about the soaring fee of colleges and unaffordable education, to which Tawde replied,

If you cannot pay the fee then find some employment and leave the idea of study.”

This whole incident was recorded by a student, Yuvraj Dabad. Reportedly, Tawde asked Yuvraj to delete the video and ordered his arrest. Police followed the orders and detained him for a couple of hours and snatched his mobile phone. ^[4]CNN-News18

Car Collection

Vinod Tawde owns a Toyota Mahindra XUV 500 car which he bought in 2014. ^[5]MyNeta

Assets & Properties

Movable Assets

• Cash: Rs 80,000

• Deposits in Banks, Financial Institutions and Non-Banking Financial Companies: Rs 41,79,451

• Bonds, Debentures and Shares in Companies: Rs 1,00,57,700

• LIC or other insurance Policies: Rs 2,14,020

• Motor Vehicles: Rs 15,87,700

• Other assets, such as values of claims/interests: Rs 76,86,317

Immovable Assets

• Agricultural Land: Rs 15,60,000

• Non-Agricultural Land: Rs 5,40,00

• Commercial Buildings: Rs 43,59,479

• Residential Buildings: Rs 71,09,079

• Others: Rs 6,06,680

Note: The given estimates of movable and immovable assets are according to the year 2014. It excludes the assets owned by his wife and dependents (minor). ^[6]MyNeta

Net Worth

Vinod Tawde’s net worth for the financial year 2014-2015 was estimated to be Rs 3,69,36,675. ^[7]MyNeta

Favourites

• Idol(s): Swami Vivekananda, Veer Savarkar

• Political Guides: Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani

• Actor: Amitabh Bachchan
  

  Vinod Tawde with Amitabh Bachchan

• Beverage: Chai
  

  Vinod Tawde enjoying Kulhad Chai in Bihar

Facts/Trivia

• Vinod Tawde is on the board of directors of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, a non-profit organisation that provides leadership training to socio-political activists.

• Vinod Tawde was the key member of the coordination panel of the 12th and 13th general elections.

• Vinod loves pet animals; he has two cats.
  
• Vinod is a sports enthusiast. He often plays cricket, badminton, and football.
  

  Vinod Tawde batting in a cricket match

• The ‘Pustakanch Gaav’ initiative of Vinod Tawde is inspired by Britain’s Hay-on-Wye, a notable Welsh town known for its bookstores. Bhilar in Satara district became the first village of books in India. ^[8]YouTube – Mint