Vijay Namdevrao Wadettiwar (born 12 December 1962) is an Indian politician from Maharashtra and the 21st former Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. He is a five-time [[Member of Legislative Assembly]] and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress (INC). He currently represents the Bramhapuri constituency in Chandrapur district.
Early Life and Education
Wadettiwar was born on 12 December 1962 in Delanwadi village, Maharashtra. He belongs to the OBC community. He completed his education up to the Graduation and later pursued a career in agriculture and business alongside politics. He is married to Kiran Wadettiwar.
Political career
Early Career (1980–1998)
Wadettiwar began his political journey in 1980–81 as a grassroots worker with the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Indian National Congress. From 1991 to 1993, he served as a Member of the Zilla Parishad, Gadchiroli. In 1996, he was appointed Chairman of the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM), a position he held until 1998.
Maharashtra Legislative Council (1998–2004)
From 1998 to 2004, Wadettiwar served as a Member of the [[Maharashtra Legislative Council]] representing the Wardha-Chandrapur-Gadchiroli Local Authorities constituency.
Member of Legislative Assembly – Chimur (2004–2014)
In the 2004 Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections, Wadettiwar was elected MLA from the Chimur constituency on a Shiv Sena ticket. He later left Shiv Sena and rejoined the Indian National Congress. He was re-elected from Chimur in the 2006 by-election as a Congress candidate and again in 2009 with a massive margin of 30,500 votes.
Minister of State (2008–2010)
Following the 2008 elections, Wadettiwar was appointed Minister of State in the First Ashok Chavan ministry (December 2008 – November 2009), holding portfolios of Water Resources, Tribal Development, Environment & Climate, and Forests. He also served as Guardian Minister of Chandrapur District during this period.
In the Second Ashok Chavan ministry (November 2009 – November 2010), he continued as Minister of State for Water Resources, Parliamentary Affairs, Finance, Planning, and Energy, and served as Guardian Minister of Dhule District.
Member of Legislative Assembly – Bramhapuri (2014–present)
In 2014, Wadettiwar contested from the Bramhapuri constituency on a Congress ticket and won by 15,000 votes — a historic victory as the constituency had been represented by BJP or Independent MLAs for 34 consecutive years (1980–2014). He was re-elected in 2019 and again in 2024, defeating BJP's Krishnalal Bajirao Sahare by a margin of 13,971 votes with a vote share of 50.93%.
Cabinet Minister – Uddhav Thackeray Government (2019–2022)
From 30 December 2019 to 29 June 2022, Wadettiwar served as a Cabinet Minister in the Uddhav Thackeray ministry, holding portfolios of:
Disaster Management, Relief & Rehabilitation
Other Backward Classes (OBC) Welfare
Bahujan Welfare
Vimukta Jati & Nomadic Tribes Welfare
Backward Classes Welfare
Khar Land Development
Earthquake Rehabilitation
Majority Welfare Development
Leader of the Opposition
Wadettiwar has served as the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly twice:
First term: 24 June 2019 – 9 November 2019 (replacing Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil who had resigned and joined the BJP)
Second term: 3 August 2023 – 26 November 2024 (replacing Ajit Pawar
after NCP split; during the Eknath Shinde government)
He was appointed the 21st Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly by the Congress high command