Isudan Gadhvi

Isudan Gadhvi is an Indian politician and senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader from Gujarat.

Currently, Gadhvi is the State President of the Aam Aadmi Party in Gujarat and a member of its National Executive.

Formerly working as a media professional, he was known as a TV journalist and editor of VTV News as well as anchor of his popular news show Mahamanthan at VTV Gujarati.

Since his joining active politics, Isudan became a popular face of AAP in Gujarat and was the party's Chief Ministerial candidate in the 2022 Gujarat Legislative Assembly election.

Isudan was born on 10 January 1982 in Pipaliya village near Jamkhambhaliya town in Devbhoomi Dwarka district of Gujarat.

His father Kherajbhai Gadhvi, was a farmer by profession.

The family venerates goddesses and kuldevi including Kamai Mataji, Nagbai Mataji and Ambaji.

At his grandmother's instance, Isudan would recite 2 chapters of Ramayana and Mahabharata to her every day, which helped him memorize both the epics.

His father had the most impact on him who insisted on Isudan's education.

During Isudan's early career, his father would even accompany him when he went out to report investigative stories.

Gadhvi completed his bachelor's degree in Jamnagar by 2003.

By then, he had decided to pursue a career in journalism.

He graduated with Masters in Journalism and Mass communication from Gujarat Vidyapeeth in 2005.

Early in his career in journalism, Gadhvi worked in a popular Doordarshan show called ‘Yojana’.

From 2007 to 2011, Isudan worked at ETV Gujarati as an on-field journalist in Porbandar.

Later, he exposed a Rs 1.50 billion scam of illegal deforestration in Dang and Kaparada talukas of Gujarat on his news show, after which the Gujarat government was forced to take action.

The incident helped Gadhvi rise to fame and earned him a badge of a fearless journalist.

He worked in various locations in Gujarat including Vapi, Porbandar, Jamnagar, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.

Kherajbhai suffered from a kidney ailment and died on 15 April 2014.

Isudan was sent to Khambhaliya town for his schooling.

He joined VTV Gujarati in 2015 as the youngest channel head in Gujarati media.

For the next five years until 2021, Isudan hosted a popular prime time TV show called Mahamanthan on the state's famous VTV Gujarati.

In this program, Isudan would not only discuss various issues with the panelists sitting in the studio, but also do a ‘phone-in’ where he would discuss the same issues with the public and get their views.

It became very popular in Gujarat, especially in rural areas.

Farmers used to ask for his help for their major and minor issues and in return, Isudan would highlight these on his shows.

They had to increase the duration of the show from one to one-and-a-half hours, as responding to rising viewership and popularity.

The show received TRP up to 3 to 4 times higher than its nearest competitor in other channels.

To accommodate the crowds that would assemble outside the studio, the show was often shifted outdoors.

Gadhvi had been aggressive about farmers' issues.

At the cattle farmers strike against some of the rules of the government, its entire outline was prepared by Gadhvi.

He focused on issues impacting farmers, unemployment, education, women, traders, labourers and contractual workers.

His image was of a 'people's journalist' or khedut no patrakaar (journalist of the rural masses).

In his interviews with political leaders, including former chief ministers and union ministers, Gadhvi was known to pose tough questions to those in power, irrespective of their party.

For the Patidar Ananmat Aandolan Samiti, active during the Patidar reservation agitation, Gadhvi was seen as their voice in the state.

In the fifteen months since joining AAP, Gadhvi travelled nearly 110,000 km all around Gujarat to address more than 1,200 meetings.

Isudan also made a regular show which he described as "an effort to protect culture".

Every Sunday, he would do an episode such as 'Lord Hanuman’s history', Karma ka Siddhant (principles of Karma), or 'old-age homes', among others.

He would even invite sants and mahants in these episodes.

Covid pandemic had devastating effect in Gujarat and had shaken Isudan.

While caring for his infected mother, Gadhvi saw the state machinery in shambles.