Shripad Amrit Dange

Comrade Shripad Amrit Dange OL
Chairman of the Communist Party of India
In office 25 February 1962 – 28 November 1981
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
In office 5 Apr 1967 – 5 April 1977
Preceded by	Vithal Balkrishna Gandhi
Succeeded by	Abdul Kader Salebhoy
Constituency	Mumbai Central South
In office 5 Apr 1957 – 31 March 1962
Preceded by	Jayashri Naishadh Raiji
Succeeded by	Vithal Balkrishna Gandhi
Constituency	Mumbai City Central
President, Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti
In office 1959–1960
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Personal details
Born	10 October 1899 (1899-10-10) Karanjgaon, Nashik, Maharashtra, India
Died	22 May 1991 (1991-05-23) (aged 91) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality	British Indian (1899–1947) Indian (1947–1991)
Political party	Communist Party of India
Spouse	Ushatai Dange
Children	Roza Vidyadhar Deshpande
Awards	Order of Lenin

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Shripad Amrit Dange OL (10 October 1899 – 22 May 1991) was an Indian politician who was a founding member of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and a stalwart of Indian trade union movement. During the 20th century, Dange was arrested by the authorities for communist and trade union activities and was jailed for an overall period of 13 years.

After India's Independence, a series of events like Sino-Soviet split, Sino-Indian war, and dispute over the stand of the party towards Indian National Congress led to a split in the Communist Party of India, in 1964. The breakaway Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) emerged stronger both in terms of membership and their performance in the Indian Elections. Dange, who remained the Chairman of the CPI till 1978, was removed in that year because the majority of party workers were against Dange's political line of supporting Indian National Congress, and Indira Gandhi, the then Congress Prime Minister. He was expelled from the CPI in 1981. He joined the All India Communist Party (AICP), and later, United Communist Party of India. Towards the end, Dange got increasingly marginalised in the Indian Communist movement. He was also a well-known writer and was the founder of Socialist the first socialist weekly in India. Dange played an important role in the formation of Maharashtra state.