The Sena MP in force-feeding row: All you need to know about Rajan Vichare

He’s now hit the national headlines for leading a band of Shiv Sena MPs protesting inadequate facilities at the Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi and for attempting to force a catering contractor to eat a chapati despite the latter pleading that he was observing roza. But Rajan Vichare is a familiar face in Thane, Maharashtra, from where he carved out a highly successful political career. [caption id=“attachment_1630629” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Shiv Sena MP Rajan Vichare.[/caption] Here’s everything you need to know about the Shiv Sena MP: 1. Vichare moved to Thane as an eight-year-old boy and was drawn in his teens to firebrand local Shiv Sena leader in Thane, Anand Dighe. He climbed the political ladder slowly, going from average Sainik to shakha pramukh to corporator, Standing Committee chairperson, mayor, MLA and now MP. 2. According to his affidavit to the Election Commission of India, he has as many as eight cases against him, ranging from rioting to intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace. 3. According to reports, Vichare has been known for his “rude” manner including towards senior Shiv Sena leaders. 4. Days after the incident, Vichare was on Twitter, opining that the best exercise is walking, and that walking away from arguments does a whole lot of good.In fact, on the evening of the incident, Vichare also met Sushma Swaraj with a delegation from Thane, to discuss the plight of students from his constituency who had been defrauded by employment agents and were trapped in Malaysia.

5. His was a surprise win at the Lok Sabha election, even though he has been an MLA and mayor. During the election campaign, the Shiv Sena described him as a young and enthusiastic “friend of the common man”. Speaking at his campaign meetings, Vichare spoke of putting Thane on the global map – he had planned a document called ‘Thane Vision-2031’, whose draft was already prepared. 6. As former Mayor of Thane, Vichare was vocal on urban issues pertaining to the Mumbai region during Assembly debates. He played a key role in executing a traffic management system for the highly congested Thane station area and has spoken in Assembly against toll collection on highways. He has also sought policy measures for promoting affordable housing in Thane including redevelopment of old buildings in clusters.