Jignesh Mevani

Jignesh Mevani Biography

Jignesh Mevani is a Dalit leader and politician from the state of Gujarat. He is also a social activist and lawyer. First-time legislator in the state assembly of Gujarat, he represents Vadgam constituency in Gujarat Legislative Assembly since 2017. In 2017 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election, he won the elections with the support of Indian National Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party. As a dalit leader he has been involved in several state wide protests across the state and has also co-ordinated with Hardik Patel and OBC leader Alpesh Thakor for the revolts against Bharatiya Janata Party.

Jignesh Mevani was born on 11 December 1982 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat to a Dalit family. His family originally belongs to Meu, a village in Mehsana district. He graduated in English and also holds a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. In 2013 he completed his law studies too. He also had a brief career as a journalist and reporter in association with Abhiyan, a Gujarati magazine.

As a dalit leader, Jignesh Mevani he has been associated with several dalit protests within the state in the recent times. In 2016 he led the protest march called Dalit Asmita Yatra from Ahmedabad to Una, which was attended by 20,000 Dalits. An attack on dalit men who proclaimed to be a cow protection group irked the dalits, resulting in state wide protests. This single dalit agitation made him a popular leader among SC and ST communities. He continued his agitations against BJP led government, in association with Gujarat leader Hardik Patel from Patel community and OBC leader Alpesh Thakor. In 2017 state assembly elections, he got elected to state assembly for the first time.

Published: November 07, 2019

Updated: November 07, 2019