Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar Biography 
Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar popularly known as Dadasaheb was the first Speaker of the Lok Sabha, in independent India. He was an independence activist and freedom fighter who also served as President of the Central Legislative Assembly for a term of one year in the pre-independent era. Noted politician and parliamentarian Purushottam Mavalankar is his son. Along with Sardar Patel, he played a significant role in the development of education in his state, Gujarat, and proposed Gujarat University which came true later. He, along with Kasturbhai Lalbhai and Amritlal Hargovindas founded Ahmadabad Education Society.
He was born into a Marathi family in Ahmedabad in the year 1888. His family originally belongs to Ratnagiri, who settled in Gujarat. He completed graduation in science from Gujarat College, Ahmedabad in 1908 and also completed LLB in Government Law School, Mumbai. Soon after completion of his law studies, he started practising in the year 1913 and came into contact of great Indian leaders Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel. Got associated with state politics, he got continuously elected to Ahmedabad Municipality since 1919. Prior to it he served as the secretary of the Gujarat Sabha in 1916.
Got associated with Non-Cooperation Movement, he also participated in Salt Satyagraha in 1930. He got elected to the Bombay Province Legislative Assembly in 1937 and was chosen as Speaker – a position he held till 1946. In 1946, he was elected to the Central Legislative Assembly, a position he held till midnight of 14th August 1947 when Indian got independence. After independence, when it was decided that a Speaker should preside over the Assembly, Ganesh Vasudev Mavalankar was assigned the position of ‘First Speaker in Independent India’ (constituent Assembly), followed by Speaker of the Provisional Parliament on 26 November 1949 to 1952. In First General Assembly elections, he won the election from Ahmedabad constituency and got elected as First Speaker of Lok Sabha. He held the position till 1956, a few days before his death.
Published: N/A
Updated: March 06, 2016
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