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Ashok Shankarrao Dhawad is an Indian Politician of the Indian National Congress from Nagpur, Maharashtra. He served as a Member (MLA) in the 7th and 8th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 1985-1995 from South Nagpur Constituency.

Personal Life
Ashok Dhawad was born on 11th January, 1955 in Zunki district, Nagpur, Maharashtra. He is the eldest of four siblings born to Shankarrao Dhawad and Indira Dhawad.

He is married to Dr.Kiran Dhawad and has two daughters, Priyanka and Radhika, and a son, Abhishek.

Early Life and Political career
Dhawad completed his M.Com from CP and Berar College, Nagpur in 1977. In his college days, Ashok Dhawad was an active student leader and eventually became the Student Union President at CP & Berar.

In 1978, he courted arrest for protesting against Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's arrest. Dhawad was appointed as the President of Nagpur City Youth Congress in 1982 and went on to become the General Secretary of Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress in 1984. Subsequently he was elected as the Vice President of Maharashtra Youth Congress and then appointed in the National Council of Indian Youth Congress.

In 1985, he was elected as a Member of the 7th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (MLA) from South Nagpur Constituency, making him one of the youngest MLAs in Maharashtra at that time.

Dhawad was also appointed as the Chairman of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Sevadal from 1986-95 by Rajiv Gandhi. In 1990 he was re-elected as a Member of the 8th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly (MLA) from South Nagpur Constituency.

He has also served as the Joint Secretary (1996-98) and the General Secretary (1999-2001) in MPCC.

In 2001, Dhawad was appointed as the Director of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC)

In 2004, he lost the elections for MLA to the then Mayor Devendra Fadnavis despite securing 86,000 votes approximately, which was the highest number of votes secured in a defeat in Maharashtra.

In 2006, Dhawad quit Congress due to infighting to join Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). He served as the State Vice President for NCP and eventually as the Nagpur City Chief.

In 2009, he rejoined Congress and remains an active member.