Maharashtra assembly elections: Dharavi hopeful Jyoti Gaikwad has officially changed name

Jyoti Gaikwad, sister of MP Varsha Gaikwad

Jyoti Girigosavi, sister of Mumbai North West MP Varsha Gaikwad, is eager to contest the upcoming Assembly election in the city. To appeal more to voters, she has changed her name in the Maharashtra Gazette to Jyoti Gaikwad, adopting her maiden name.

Dharavi has always been a stronghold of the Gaikwad family with one daughter Varsha Gaikwad already a popular elected representative and a former minister.
As per government documents, her name has been changed from Jyoti Ganesh Girigosavi to Jyoti Eknath Gaikwad as per the gazette notification issued on the week ending July 31, 2024, a copy of which is with mid-day.

Varsha Gaikwad was the sitting MLA from Dharavi and she resigned from her post after getting elected as a member of Parliament. Gaikwad, who had been initially gunning for the Mumbai South Central seat (of which Dharavi is a part) was upset at not being given a ticket from there. She is now pitching for her sister. The Gaikwad sisters' father, Eknath Gaikwad, had also been an MP from South and North Central Mumbai, and also an MLA from Dharavi.

Calls and messages to Jyoti Gaikwad from mid-day were unanswered by press time.