Ashok Dhawale

Dhawale came to the Left movement through the Students Federation of India (SFI) while studying at the Bombay University for MA (Political Science). He went on to become the Maharashtra State Secretary of the organisation. After student life, Dhawale became active in the left youth movement, and became the State President of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI). From 1993 onwards, Ashok Dhawale began working with AIKS. The Maharashtra unit of the AIKS had weakened after the demise of legendary communist leader Godavari Parulekar, and Ashok Dhawale took the lead in building it up again, travelling from village to village all across the State. He served as the State Secretary and President of the AIKS. In 2005, Ashok Dhawale was elected as the State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), a position he served in until 2015. When he elected as President of AIKS at its national conference in Hissar held in 2017, he became the third Communist leader from Maharashtra to lead AIKS after late Krantisinh Nana Patil and late Godavari Parulekar. In 2018 March, he led the massive Kisan Long March, Maharashtra from Nashik to Mumbai under the banner of AIKS.[2]

He is a medical doctor by training. He completed his MBBS from Bombay Medical College. He is married to Mariam Dhawale, current General Secretary of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA).