Sanjeev Naik

Sanjeev Ganesh Naik
Sanjeev Naik during 2009 campaign
Personal details
Born	15 April 1972 (1972-04-015) (age 39) Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Political party	Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)
Residence	Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Religion	Hindu{agri)

Sanjeev Ganesh Naik (born April 15, 1972) is an Indian politician, who became the first mayor of the satellite city of Navi Mumbai at the age of 23.^[1] He is the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Member of the 15th Lok Sabha from Thane (Lok Sabha constituency) in Maharashtra state, elected in the Indian general election, 2009, and is the son of guardian minister for Thane and NCP member Ganesh Naik.^[2]

Education

Naik has a Diploma in Dairy Development and Management, and an Advanced Diploma in Computer Hardware and Networks.^[3]

During his 2009 campaign, the title "Dr." was used by Naik in his campaign literature. This referred to a degree awarded by a group in the United States called the "International Tamil University",^[4] a private distance-learning organisation which is not accredited to award degrees in the US, but which claims affiliation with established universities in India.^[4] During the election, Naik's campaign referred to him as the recipient of a doctorate (D Litt), but in his affidavit to the Election Commission of India, he declared that he had only studied up to the Higher Secondary (School) Certificate (HSC), a school qualification which is below university level.^[5] Naik himself claimed to have received the degree for "social commitment", and not as an educational qualification.^[6] In April 2009, a petition was filed in Bombay High Court to prevent him from using the title "Dr" in his campaign material.^[7]

Political career

Naik was first elected mayor of Navi Mumbai in May 1995 at the age of 23, then again in 2000.^[3] In 2002, he was elected mayor for the third time.^[8]

During his time in office, Naik led the establishment of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport initiative and initiated the funding of the Morbe dam project.^{[3][unreliable source?]} During his third term as mayor, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation was awarded First Prize in the first Sant Gadge Baba Cleanliness Drive, a state-level corporation contest.^[9]

In 2006, he was one of several local politicians attending the launch of the controversial Hitler's Cross restaurant, a Hitler-themed restaurant at Kharghar in Navi Mumbai. The restaurant featured a huge poster of Adolf Hitler at its inauguration, and the entrance also displayed the swastika encircled by the letter 'O' in the word "Cross".^[10]

Naik contested from the Thane Lok Sabha Constituency in the 2008 by-election, but was defeated by the Shiv Sena party candidate Anand Paranjape by 90,872 votes.^[11]

In April 2009, Naik's central campaign office was visited by the police, who were there prevented from arresting a suspect for whom there had been an outstanding arrest warrant for four months. The suspect later surrendered to police that evening.^[12]

Naik defeated his main competitor at the 2009 general election, however, Naik's election has been challenged as he used the unconfirmed title "Dr" on election material.^[13]

References

1. ^ "Sanjeev Naik is Navi Mumbai mayor". www.mid-day.com. 2002-11-17. http://www.mid-day.com/news/2002/nov/36562.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-18. 
2. ^ "Tough battle ahead for Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli constituencies". The Indian Express. 2002-03-26. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/tough-battle-ahead-for-thane-kalyandombivl/439108/. Retrieved 2009-04-22. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Biography, Sanjeev Naik's official website". http://www.sanjeevgnaik.com/biography.html. Retrieved 2009-04-22. 
4. ^ ^{a b} http://www.tamiluniversityusa.org
5. ^ Nikade, Nilesh (2009-04-13). "‘Doctored’ SMSes land Sanjeev Naik in the soup". Mumbai Mirror. http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=2&contentid=2009041320090413040832161925da121. Retrieved 2009-04-18. 
6. ^ N. Ganesh (2009-04-12). "Pitted against undergraduate, NCP candidate opts not to flaunt his ‘doctorate’ degree". The Indian Express. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/pitted-against-undergraduate-ncp-candidate-opts-not-to-flaunt-his-doctorate-degree/446083/. Retrieved 2009-04-15. 
7. ^ "Petition objects to Sanjeev Naik’s use of 'Dr'". The Indian Express. 2009-04-12. http://www.indianexpress.com/news/petition-objects-to-sanjeev-naiks-use-of-dr/449272/. Retrieved 2009-04-22. 
8. ^ Shailesh Gaikwad (2002-11-17). "NCP wins after cross-voting mela". Indian Express. http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=35416. Retrieved 2009-04-18. 
9. ^ Joshi, Satyajit (2003-12-19). "In cleanliness, Pune is only second-best". expressindia.com. http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=71115. Retrieved 2009-04-22. 
10. ^ "Mumbai eatery named after Hitler, Jews livid". Times of India. 2006-08-22. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1914108.cms. Retrieved 2009-04-15. 
11. ^ Sujay Mehdudia (2008-05-26). "Congress loses Lok Sabha by-elections". Chennai, India: The Hindu newspaper. http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/26/stories/2008052655460100.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-15. 
12. ^ Nitin Yeshwantrao (2009-04-15). "4 months on, absconding NCP man held". Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/4-months-on-absconding-NCP-man-held/articleshow/4401932.cms. Retrieved 2009-04-15. 
13. ^ Thomas, Shibu (2009-05-19). "Thane won, `Dr' Naik awaits high court verdict". The Times of India. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mumbai/Thane-won-Dr-Naik-awaits-high-court-verdict/articleshow/4549168.cms. Retrieved 2009-05-31. 

External links

• http://www.sanjeevgnaik.com/

Persondata
Name	Naik, Sanjeev
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1972-04-015
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death