Archana Patil, the daughter-in-law of former Union Home Minister and senior Congress leader Shivraj Patil, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday. The induction took place in the presence of Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the BJP’s State unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, and other party leaders, in Mumbai.
Ms. Patil’s addition will strengthen the BJP’s presence in Maharashtra ahead of the Lok Sabha election, Mr. Fadnavis said at the event. “It is a matter of pleasure for us that someone from the family of Shivraj Patil, who was a senior leader of Congress, and was also Speaker of Lok Sabha, and was the Union Home Minister, is joining our party. It is a big thing for the party. Her grassroot work in Latur and the work experience that she is coming with, will strengthen the party,” Mr. Fadnavis said, addressing the press persons on Friday.
Ms. Patil has been engaged in social work in Latur. “I have joined the BJP to work in the political sphere. I was greatly influenced by the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam brought by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It gives equal opportunity to women. I have been working at the grassroots level in Latur for many years now. After joining politics, I will devote myself with the same amount of dedication to the party (the BJP),” she said.
“I was never officially in the Congress party,” she said of her ‘Congress connection’. “I joined the BJP only because of the party‘s ideology and values that had always had a great influence on me. I want to work with Modi-ji’s team towards building ‘Viksit Bharat’.”
Ms. Patil also said that she had planned to join the BJP on Monday along with the former Rural Development Minister of Maharashtra, Basavaraj Murumkar, who has also been a close aide of Mr. Shivraj Patil, but this was postponed due to her daughter’s wedding.
Earlier on Friday, Ms. Patil had a meeting with Mr. Fadnavis at his official residence, Sagar, in south Mumbai.
Ms. Patil is a doctor and chairperson of the Lifecare Hospital and Research Centre in Udgir, Latur. Her husband, Shailesh Patil Chandurkar, is the State secretary of the Congress party.
Mr. Shivraj Patil served as the Lok Sabha Speaker from 1991 to 1996. Between 2004 and 2008, he also served as the Union Home Minister under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but resigned from the post after facing criticism following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
