Nila Vikhe Patil, daughter of Maharashtra educationist Ashok Vikhe Patil, was elected to the Swedish Parliament on Saturday from the Stockholm City constituency.
Nila is the great-granddaughter of the founder of Asia’s first cooperative sugar factory, Vithalrao Vikhe Patil, and granddaughter of late Union minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil. Her uncle, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, is a Maharashtra minister. She has been a member of the Stockholm City Council. She also served as a political adviser in the Swedish Prime Minister’s Office, focusing on finance, taxes and housing during the Stefan Lofven administration.
“It feels nice to be a part of the 349-member Parliament. Sweden’s left-leaning opposition won a narrow majority in the September 13 election. The Swedish Election Authority said the four opposition parties won 176 seats in the 349-seat Riksdag (Parliament). The four parties that make up or support the outgoing conservative-led government took 173 seats.
I am looking forward to contributing to the city and the country,” Nila told news agency PTI.
The 41-year-old Nila said that she loves India dearly and misses her grandfather a lot. He made me read the state budget when I was 15,” Nila said.
“I would like to be a voice for those who cannot vote,” she said. “I want to contribute to a society where every child gets a chance for a good future. We need a habitable planet with clean water, living nature and as few human-caused natural disasters as possible,” she added. “I hope to make my grandfather proud.