Comrade Ladkya Kharpade is a militant and dedicated activist of the CPI(M) for the last 25 years since 1990. He is a resident of Aamgaon village in Talasari tehsil and hails from the Warli Adivasi tribe. Born on June 1, 1962, he studied up to the First Year BA class and has now resumed his education to complete his BA degree under the open university system. He has been a member of the CPI(M) Thane district committee since 2001 and a member of the Thane district secretariat since 2008. In 2010, he was elected as a Director of the Thane District Central Co-Operative Bank for a five-year term. From 1997 to 2012, he was elected for three consecutive terms as a member of the Talasari Tehsil Panchayat Samiti, and from 2007 to 2012, he was elected the Vice Chairman of the above Panchayat Samiti. Earlier in 1995, he was elected as a member of the Aamgaon Gram Panchayat. Thus he has the experience of working for the Party from the ground level. It was under the remarkable leadership of Comrades Shamrao and Godavari Parulekar that the Communist Party and the Kisan Sabha were founded in Thane district in 1945 with the famous Adivasi Revolt. As a result of that and later struggles, the Red Flag has been flying high over the Talasari Panchayat Samiti without a break for the last 52 years since the first state local body polls held in 1962. Similarly, for the last 36 years without a break since 1978, a CPI(M) MLA has been elected from the earlier Jawhar (ST) and now Dahanu (ST) assembly seat. Ladkya Kharpade is among the thousands of Party activists in Thane district who has contributed to this collective achievement. Since 2007, he has been the General Secretary of the CITU Thane district committee and also the General Secretary of the CITU- affiliated Lal Bavta Thane Jilha Kamgar Union. In 2012, he was elected as Secretary of the CITU Maharashtra state committee. In the last seven years, there have been innumerable struggles that have led to good agreements signed in favour of the workers in several small industries in the tribal belt of Talasari, Dahanu, Palghar and Shahapur tehsils of Thane district. From 1985 to 2001, he was active in the DYFI where he was elected as DYFI state committee member, Thane district Vice President and Talasari tehsil President. During the last 25 years, Comrade Ladkya Kharpade has been working ceaselessly under the banner of the CPI(M) and has led several struggles of the working class, peasantry, agricultural workers, middle class, small traders, professionals and all other sections of the common people. These struggles have been on burning issues like the Forest Rights Act, other land questions, water for drinking and irrigation, food security and PDS, electricity, education, employment, health, railway services and all other questions connected with the balanced development of Thane district.