Gopal Kanda Age, Caste, Wife, Family, Biography & More
Gopal Kanda Age, Caste, Wife, Family, Biography & More
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Real Name | Gopal Kumar Goyal |
| Other Name | Gopal Goyal Kanda (He uses the surname “Kanda” for political and religious purposes. However, he uses the surname “Goyal” for business purposes and in his official documents) [1] |
| Profession(s) | Politician, Businessman |
| Known For | The harassment and suicide case of Geetika Sharma, an air hostess in his now-defunct airlines- MDLR. |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 170 cm in meters– 1.70 m in feet & inches– 5’ 7” |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Politics | |
| Political Party | Haryana Lokhit Party
|
| Political Journey | • Contested the 2009 Haryana Assembly Elections as an independent candidate and won from the Sirsa seat. • Supported the Congress in the government formation and was appointed as the Minister of State for Home in Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s cabinet. • In 2012, he had to resign from the Government of Haryana after he was arrested in connection to the Geetika Sharma suicide case.  • In May 2014, he formed the Haryana Lokhit Party. • Contested and lost the 2014 Haryana Assembly Elections against Makhan Lal Singla of the INLD. • In the 2019 Haryana Assembly Elections, he contested and won from the Sirsa Assembly seat of Haryana. |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 29 December 1965 (Wednesday) |
| Age (as in 2020) | 55Years |
| Birthplace | Sirsa, Haryana |
| Zodiac sign | Capricorn |
| Signature |  |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Sirsa, Haryana |
| School | School drop-out from the RSD School in Sirsa, Haryana [2] |
| College/University | Did Not Attend |
| Educational Qualification | 8th Pass [3] |
| Religion | Not Known |
| Caste | Not Known |
| Food Habit | Vegetarian [4] |
| Address | House No 335, Gali-15, Khazanchian, Sirsa, Haryana (Reportedly, his house is said to be valued at 100 crores INR)
|
| Hobbies | Playing Badminton and Listening to Music |
| Controversies | • In 2010, a car belonging to Gopal Kanda was seized; as it was used in committing gang-rape in New Delhi. The victim was a cook in the home of Kanda’s relative, and she alleged that Kanda’s driver and his friends had picked her up and then they raped her. [5] • On 22 July 2011, close aides of Gopal Kanda assaulted the Indian cricketer Atul Wassan for overtaking their car at a toll plaza on the Gurgaon-Delhi Expressway. [6] • In 2012, a former employee of his airlines, Geetika Sharma committed suicide and named Kanda and his associate, Aruna Chadha, in the suicide note. She alleged that Kanda took advantage of her, harassed her, and misused her which led her to commit suicide. Kanda was arrested, and he also had to resign as the Minister of State for Home in Haryana. [7] |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Saraswati Devi
|
| Children | Son– He has a son Daughter(s)– He has two daughters  |
| Parents | Father– Murli Dhar Kanda (Advocate) Mother– Munni Devi |
| Siblings | Brother– Govind Kanda (Younger; Politician)
Sister– None |
| Style Quotient | |
| Car Collection | land cruiser
|
| Assets/Properties (as in 2019) [8] | Cash: 8.22 lacs INR Bank Deposits: 28.73 lacs INR Jewellery: 3923 gm Gold worth 1.56 crores INR, 72-carat diamonds worth 10.08 lacs INR Agricultural Land: worth 1.70 crores INR in Ghatta, Gurgaon Agricultural Land: 5 lands worth 2.90 crores INR in Nathpur, Gurgaon Agricultural Land: 2 lands worth 2 crores INR in Ram Nagar, Sirsa, Haryana Residential Building: House worth 4 crores INR in Civil Lines, Gurgaon Residential Building: House worth 1.40 crores INR in Ajmer Road, Sodala, Jaipur |
| Money Factor | |
| Salary (approx.) | 1.50 lac INR per month (as an MLA) [9] |
| Net Worth (approx.) | 95.43 crores INR |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Gopal Kanda
- Gopal Kanda is an Indian politician and a businessman. He is an independent elected MLA from the Sirsa Assembly seat of Haryana.
- His ancestors were traders who used to weigh vegetables at a wholesale market in Sirsa, Haryana. This is the reason why he uses the surname “Kanda.” Kanda means the iron weights which are used by the traders. [11]
- He used to live with his family in a two-room apartment above a shop.
- He started working as an electrician in a repair shop.
- He started doing business by starting a shoe repair shop. However, it did not run so well, and he suffered a huge loss.
- He got involved in many other businesses, but he faced back-to-back failures.
- In 1997, he moved to Gurgaon to try his luck in the real estate business. He was successful this time and with
- the help of an IAS officer, he managed to exploit and take advantage of legal reforms. Eventually, he became a developer.
- By the end of 2005, Kanda owned many businesses, and he also had stakes in a hotel, casino, clothing lines, export businesses, and car dealerships.
- On 14 March 2007, his company, Murli Dhar Lakh Ram (MDLR) Group, launched the “MDLR Airlines.”
- However, the airlines were shut down in 2009; as there was a tax raid on the company and it also suffered huge losses. Several employees were also convicted after the tax raid and MDLR Airlines became a part of “Emirates Airlines” in 2010.
- In 2006, he entered politics. He used his connections with Om Prakash Chautala of the INLD and a religious leader, Tara Baba, to leverage them and provide him with an easy entry into politics.
- Even though he became popular in Haryana as a leader, the INLD refused to accept him as a member of their party; as they thought that Kanda was incapable of winning. He approached the Congress, but they refused to give him a ticket too.
- Kanda contested the 2009 Haryana Assembly Elections from the Sirsa Assembly seat as an independent candidate and won. He defeated INLD’s Padam Jain by 6521 votes.
- The Congress had won 40 seats in the 2009 Haryana Assembly Elections, and it was 6 seats short of reaching the halfway mark to form the government in Haryana. Kanda supported the Congress and helped Congress get the support of 6 independent candidates to form the Government.
- Bhupinder Singh Hooda was pleased by Kanda’s gesture of rounding up the support of 6 MLAs, and he rewarded him by appointing him as the Minister of State (MOS) for Home.
- In 2012, he had to resign as the MOS for Home; as he was arrested for abetting the suicide of Kanda’s former employee Geetika Sharma.
- In August 2012, it was reported that his house in Sirsa was worth 100 crores INR. His house is built like a fortress and it includes helipads.
- In 2014, he returned to politics and formed his party, the Haryana Lokhit Party.
- In 2019, he came into the limelight when he won the Haryana Assembly Elections from Sirsa. Reportedly, he was once again in a position to support the BJP and help it form the government in Haryana. However, the BJP faced backlash on this news, and it was announced that they won’t be taking Kanda’s support due to his controversial past.
