Friday, May 10

Maharashtra: Dr Sujay Vikhe Patil, BJP Candidate From Ahmednagar Constituency

Edited by Hiba Anvar

Dr Sujay Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, the son of senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil who joined the saffron party in 2019 is given the BJP ticket to contest the election from the Ahmadnagar constituency. Sujay’s name was included in the second candidate list of BJP.

Sujay Vikhe Patil is one of the sitting MPs from Maharashtra. In the 2019 general election, the BJP leader won from the Ahmednagar constituency by a huge vote margin of 2,81,526 votes against the NCP candidate Sangram Arun Jagtap.

Sujay is the grandson of the veteran politician and seven-time member of parliament, former Union minister of state (finance), and Union Cabinet minister (Heavy industries) Government of India, Balasaheb Vikhe Patil.

Dr Sujay is a practicing surgeon and belongs to the fourth generation of the Vikhe-Patil family that controls a vast network of milk, sugar, education and other cooperatives in the Ahmednagar area making it the family’s stronghold. The Vikhe Patil family holds enormous sway in Ahmednagar with Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil, the father of Balasaheb, being credited with starting Asia’s first cooperative sugar factory in the district’s Loni.

Sujay joined the BJP in 2019 as he was upset over not being fielded by the Congress candidate from the Ahmednagar constituency.

Following the son’s footsteps, then senior and opposition leader of Congress, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil too resigned from the grand old party.

Born in 1981, Sujay hails from Kopargaon village of Ahmednagar. He is a neurosurgeon by profession and has been active in politics since 2008. He started his political career being a member of the Youth Congress. He also served as the member of the standing committee on health and family welfare and the member of the advisory committee Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.