Meet Vishal Patil, leader that made Congress touch 100-seat mark

Sangli, a historic Congress bastion in Maharashtra, found itself in the crosshairs of alliance politics in 2019. Ultimately, the Congress gave up and the opposing side won the seat.  Allies fought over the parliamentary seat in the western Maharashtra sugar bowl in 2024 as well, leading the Congress to renounce its claim to the seat. The opposition alliance lost the seat, just like in 2019. This time, though, the tale takes a little unexpected turn.  The Congress has reclaimed the seat, and Vishal Patil, the grandson of the late Maharashtra chief minister Vasantdada Patil—who was also a victim of coalition politics—has emerged as a leading contender. A rebel group led by Sharad Pawar in 1978 by the Congress staunchly overthrew a coalition government.

Vishal wins over Congress's heart 

Vishal, his grandson, has now contributed to the Congress party's rise from a double-digit to a triple-digit majority in the Lok Sabha, from the 99 to century. By running as an independent and defying the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), Vishal Patil was able to win the Sangli seat by a margin of more than one lakh. As an associate member of the party, he has now extended his support to the Congress.

with INDIA
along with pilot @vishwajeetkadam https://t.co/qDWbYmE6X6

— Vishal Prakashbapu Patil (@patilvishalvp) June 6, 2024

I will repeat it, as I have already done. I am a blood member of Congress. Following his victory on Tuesday, Vishal Patil told a press conference, "I am a person of the Congress ideology." In addition to meeting party leaders Sonia and Rahul Gandhi on Thursday, Vishal Patil met Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi to offer his support to the I.N.D.I.A. bloc. 

NCP, Congress and Sangli 

Along with the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), the Congress is a member of the Maharashtra Opposition, or MVA. In Sangli, MVA candidate Chandrahar Patil of the Shiv Sena (UBT) finished third. The Lok Sabha election events remind us of how tense this district has always been between political factions and alliances. 

From 1962 to 2014, the Congress consistently prevailed in Lok Sabha elections held in Sangli. However, following 1980, it became a stronghold for the Patil family, with Vasantdada, his wife Shalini, son Prakashbapu, and his grandsons Madan and Pratik Patil holding the position of representatives. That run came to an end in 2014 when Pratik Patil lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).