Manikrao Thakare

{{Short description|Indian politician}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Manikrao Thakare

|image =

|order =

| office = AICC Incharge for Goa Pradesh Congress Committee & Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

| term_start = 24 December 2023

| term_end =

| predecessor = Manickam Tagore

| successor =

|office1 = Member of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly

|term_start1 = (1985-1990), (1990-1995), (1995-1999), (1999

|term_end1 = 2004)

|predecessor1 = Mandhana Harish Rameshwar

|successor1 = Sanjay Dulichand Rathod

| constituency1 = Darwha

|office2 = Member of Maharashtra Legislative Council

|term_start2 = (2009

|term_end2 = 2018)

| predecessor2 =Govindrao Adik

| successor2 = Ram Patil Ratolikar

|office3 = President of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee

|term_start3 = (2008

|term_end3 = 2015)

|predecessor3 = Patangrao Kadam

|successor3 = Ashok Chavan

|office4 = Minister of State in Fourth Pawar ministry

|minister4 = Home ministry, Agriculture & Rural Development

|term_start4 = 6 March 1993

|term_end4 = 14 March 1995

||office5 = Minister of State in First Deshmukh ministry

|minister5 = Home Affairs (Rural), Employment guarantee & Parliamentary affairs

|term_start5 = 18 Oct 1999

|term_end5 = 16 Jan 2003

|office6 = Minister of State in Sushilkumar Shinde ministry

|minister6 = Ministry of Energy, New and Renewable Energy Maharashtra

|term_start6 = 18 Jan 2003

|term_end6 = 6 July 2004

| office7 = Deputy Chairman of
Maharashtra Legislative Council

| term_start7 = 5 Aug 2016

| term_end7 = 19 July 2018

| predecessor7 =

| successor7 = Neelam Gorhe

| office8 = AICC Incharge for Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee

| term_start8 = 5 Jan 2023

| term_end8 = 24 December 2023

| office9 = Guardian Minister of Palghar district

| term_start9 = (18 Oct 1999

| term_end9 =16 Jan 2003)

| predecessor8 = Manickam Tagore

| successor8 = Deepa Dasmunsi

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|08|22|df=y}}

|birth_place = Haru, Madhya Pradesh, India
(now in Maharashtra, India)

|party = 20px Indian National Congress

|death_date =

|death_place =

|spouse =

|occupation = Pension, Rental Income & Agriculture

|children = Rahul Manikrao Thakare, Atul Thakare

|alma_mater = 12th Pass

Under BA 2nd (Available Certificate) & 10th From Dinbai Vidyalaya, Digras Tq. Digras Dist. Yavatmal (Year 1970-71)

}}

Manikrao Govindrao Thakare (born 22 August 1954) is an Indian politician from the state of Maharashtra. He is a senior leader of Indian National Congress and is considered by people to be the most trustworthy OBC leader in Maharashtra.

He was previously a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from the Indian National Congress from 1985 until 2004 from Darwha (Vidhan Sabha constituency) Constituency.

He was later given the Energy Ministry portfolio during January 2003 - 2004 and in July 2004, he was one of 22 ministers to be dropped as minister by the then Chief Minister of Maharashtra Sushilkumar Shinde.{{cite web|url=http://in.rediff.com/news/2004/jul/06maha.htm|title=Shinde drops 22 ministers in Maharashtra|publisher=rediff.com|date=July 6, 2004|accessdate=2009-09-26}}

Manikrao has been a vocal critic of the Bharatiya Janata Party - Shiv Sena alliance government which ruled Maharashtra up to 1999, especially its handling of the Srikrishna Commission. On 27 July 1998, Manikrao along with R R Patil demanded that the Justice Shrikrishna Commission report be tabled on the floor of the assembly.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/1998/jul/27maha.htm|title=Maharashtra assembly adjourned over Srikrishna Commission issue|publisher=rediff.com|date=July 27, 1998|accessdate=2009-09-26}} This forced an adjournment of the assembly. His relentless criticism of the then government in the legislature ensured that when the government lost its mandate.

Manikrao Thakare was appointed AICC incharge of Telangana affairs on 4 January 2023.{{cite news |last1=Deccan Chronicle |first1= |title=Thakre replaces Tagore as AICC Telangana incharge |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/040123/thakre-replaces-tagore-as-aicc-telangana-incharge.html |access-date=6 January 2023 |date=5 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106171219/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/040123/thakre-replaces-tagore-as-aicc-telangana-incharge.html |archive-date=6 January 2023 |language=en}}