From tiger tooth to deadly threats: Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad’s long trail of controversies

Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad stirred controversy after admitting to physically assaulting a staff member at the MLAs’ hostel canteen in Mumbai. The legislator from Buldhana defended his actions, saying he was provoked by the repeated poor quality of food served to him.

“I had one bite and felt uneasy. After the second, I vomited. I was so angry that I left my room wearing just a vest and towel and went to the canteen,” Gaikwad told reporters, justifying the incident. “I asked the staff to eat the same dal and rice, and they admitted it was not fit for consumption.”

According to Gaikwad, this was not the first time he had raised complaints about the canteen’s food. He claimed he had previously flagged the issue four times.

Who is Sanjay Gaikwad?

Sanjay Gaikwad is a two-time MLA from Buldhana, Maharashtra. A farmer by profession, he was originally elected on a Shiv Sena ticket and later joined the Eknath Shinde-led faction in 2022 after the party split.In the 2019 Assembly elections, Gaikwad defeated Congress’s Harshawardhan Sapkal, who now serves as the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president.

Controversial past and remarks

Gaikwad has frequently drawn attention for his inflammatory comments and actions. In February 2024, he claimed to have killed a tiger in 1987 and had been wearing its tooth around his neck ever since.

This led to action from the forest department, which booked him under the Wildlife Protection Act and seized the pendant for forensic testing.

In April 2025, he lashed out at law enforcement, saying: “The Maharashtra police is the most inefficient department of the government. My son received death threats, my car was attacked, but police failed to make any breakthrough.”He further accused the police of engaging in “harampan”, a term loosely implying corrupt or rogue conduct.In March 2024, a video went viral showing Gaikwad striking a young man with a police baton during a Shiv Jayanti procession. And in September the same year, he courted more outrage by announcing a ₹11 lakh reward for anyone who would “chop off” Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s tongue — a response to Gandhi’s comments on caste-based reservations.His history of controversial statements goes further back. In 2021, while part of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government, he made a crude remark about then Opposition Leader Devendra Fadnavis, saying he wanted to “take the corona[virus] and shove it down Fadnavis’ throat.”(With inputs from ToI)