Which Indian leader did Mahatma Gandhi regard as his political guru?

Mahatma Gandhi regarded Gopal Krishna Gokhale as his political guru.

Gokhale was a moderate Indian nationalist, social reformer, and leading figure in the Indian National Congress. Gandhi met him in South Africa and later returned to India in 1915 with Gokhale’s guidance strongly in mind. Gandhi described Gokhale as a mentor whose political judgment and commitment to social service influenced him deeply.

After arriving in India, Gandhi followed Gokhale’s advice to travel around the country before making major political interventions. This helped him study local conditions and understand Indian society beyond the circles of overseas Indian activists.

Gokhale died in 1915, before Gandhi became the central mass leader of the independence movement. Gandhi’s later methods were more confrontational and popular than Gokhale’s constitutional approach, but Gandhi continued to acknowledge the older leader’s formative influence.