Gujarat Assembly elections 2017: Star candidate – Shaktisinh Gohil

Shaktisinh Harishchandrasinh Gohil is an Indian politician and national spokesperson of All India Congress Committee. 

He is a member of the Indian National Congress and an MLA from Abdasa constituency. 

Gohil became a member of AICC in 1990 and thus entered mainstream politics. He successfully contested for Gujarat Legislative Assembly from Bhavnagar South Constituency in 1990.

He was a Minister of State in two consecutive governments from March 1991 to 1995 and held various portfolios like Finance, Education, Health, Environment, Narmada, General Administration Department, Technical Education and Education Policy. He was the youngest minister in Gujarat.

In 1994, he resigned as the Minister of State for Health demanding a medical college for Bhavnagar. 

His resignation galvanized the government to allocate a medical college to Bhavnagar. This, till date remains the only medical college in Bhavnagar, a district with population of over 15 lacs.

He was re-elected in 1995 and 2007 but lost in 2002. He was able to secure highest number of votes among Congress candidates in Saurashtra region in 1995 elections. Gohil is only person to be elected for 3 terms as a member of Gujarat Legislative Assembly From Bhavnagar South Constituency.

Gohil was Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Vidhansabha during 12th Gujarat Legislative Assembly from 2007 to 2012.

In 2012 Gohil had to change his constituency as a result of disintegration of Bhavnagar south during delimitation procedure carried out by Election Commission of India.

He contested from Bhavnagar Rural and was defeated by Parshotam Solanki of Bharatiya Janata Party. He was re-elected to 13th Gujarat Legislative Assembly from Abdasa constituency defeating seating MLA Chhabilbhai Patel, who had defected to Bharatiya Janata Party, in a by-election on 16 May 2014.

He is chairperson of Public Accounts Committee of Gujarat Legislative Assembly since 2014.

Shaktisinh Gohil was appointed as National Spokesperson of AICC in Jan 2014 by Congress President smt. Sonia Gandhi.