Omprakash Babarao Kadu alias Bacchu Kadu is an independent Member of the Legislative Assembly from Achalpur, India. He has been elected to Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for four consecutive terms from 2004 to 2019. On 19 October 2014, Kadu won the assembly election, defeating congress candidate Bablu Deshmukh candidate by more than 10000 votes. This was the first time in Achalpur assembly elections that a candidate won three times in succession.In 2019 election he won the assembly election by total of 81,252 votes which 44% of the total voters.He is the first candidate to be elected for a fourth consecutive term in Achalpur Assembly elections. He is Leader of Prahar Janshakti Party. He is part of Newly formed MahaVikas Aaghadi or MVA. His party also got one seat from melghat constituency. Rajkumar patel won election from his party. He took oath as Minister of state in uddhav thackeray led Mahavikas aghadi government from shivsena quota He helps many poor patients by taking them to Mumbai for advanced medical treatment and organizes blood donation camps regularly in his constituency. He helps poor patients by providing them much needed medical aid up to 18 lakh for major surgery. In 2019 maharashtra assembly elections he got elected for fourth consecutive term from achalpur constituency by defeating congress candidate bablu deshmukh by margin of 8000 votes. He sworn in as minister of state in uddhav thackeray led mahavikas aghadi.
Early life
Initially, he was influenced by Balasaheb Thackeray’s aggressive politics. Hailing from Belora in Chandurbazar taluka. Bachchu first launched an agitation against Jalsa in his village along with his school mates when he was studying in Class 9. In 1997, he successfully contested Panchayat Samiti elections and became Chairman of the Chandurbazar Panchayat Samiti. He exposed the corruption in the toilet scheme. After clashes with the guardian minister, he quit Shiv Sena when he felt that the party did not support him. When he learned about high incidences of blindness among the old rural folks, he organised a cataract operation camp on the day of election. He and his team donated 350 bottles of blood to KEM Hospital in Mumbai on the occasion of his brother's marriage. He contested the assembly election in 1999 and lost by a slender margin of 1300 votes. But despite not having powers, Bachchu Kadu continued to fight for the common people. He launched a series of agitations like 'auctioning the chairs of inefficient government servants, half burial agitation, Virugiri, Saap Chhodo andolan, Sutli bomb agitation and secured justice for the common people. He again contested the assembly election in 2004 and defeated the former guardian minister. Now his agitations have got political power. He won the election for the third time in row in 2014 as an independent candidate. He is continuing his series of agitations even after becoming an MLA and has created an image as ‘Aapla Manoos’. His Supporter called him as 'Apna Bhidu Bacchu Kadu'
Controversies
He climbed an overhead water tank with his supporters and threatened to jump down if the police apprehended them in December 2006. The 'Sholay' styled agitation was Kadu's attempt to draw the attention of the central government to Vidarbha farmers’ suicides. After senior ministers gave an assurance that Kadu's demands would be taken up for discussion in the state cabinet within a month, Kadu and his followers agreed to end their agitation, 24 hours after they started it. Kadu ended the agitation only after warning deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil that if his demands were not considered within a month, he would resume the agitation. On Friday, 14 January 2011, Kadu slapped a Health Ministry clerk, Chandravdan Hagavane. The Maharashtra Secretariat employee union responded with a strike. The police station registered a complaint against Kadu. He beat Indian National Party's candidate Wasudha Deshmukh in the assembly election. Kadu and his followers were working under the banner called Prahar Yuvashakti Sanghatana that became the Prahar Party. On 22 April 2017, PunjabBharatiya Janata Party MP Hema Malini said she would take action against Kadu for making derogatory comments towards Malini days earlier.In 2019, he entered in a bank premises along with his supporters and threatened and abused a bank manager. This created an outrage among bankers and they started a social media campaign against Bachhu Kaddu exposing his misbehaviour and uncivilised nature.
Positions held
1997: Elected as member of Panchayat Samiti
1997: Elected as Chandurbazar Panchayat Samiti
2004: Elected to Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
2009: Re-elected to Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
2014: Re-elected to Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
2019: Re-elected to Maharashtra Legislative Assembly
2019: Swear in as minister of state in Udhav Thackeray Government.
2019: Appointed as minister of state for Water Resources & Command Area Development, School Education, Woman & Child Development, Labour, OBC-SEBC-SBC-VJNT Welfare