New Delhi: The Congress party has now reached the 100-seat mark in the Lok Sabha after Vishal Patil, an independent member from Maharashtra, extended his support to the party. On Thursday, Patil, who is the grandson of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Vasantdada Patil, met with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi.
Patil won the 2024 Lok Sabha election from the Sangli seat as an Independent, following a seat-sharing arrangement within the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition, which had allocated the Sangli seat to the Shiv Sena UBT.
Kharge Welcomes Vishal Patil's Support To Congress
In a post on X, Kharge welcomed Patil's support, stating, "Welcoming the support of the elected MP from Sangli, Shri Vishal Patil (@patilvishalvp) to the Congress party." Patil also met with former Congress presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Congress improved its tally from 52 to 99 seats, making it the largest party within the opposition INDIA bloc, which secured a total of 233 seats.
Addressing the media, Patil explained his decision: "It did not become possible to contest on a Congress ticket, but people have voted for me taking into consideration the ideology of Congress. I can't forget this. Hence after getting elected, I extended my support to Congress. Today, I have sent a letter of support to Mallikarjun Kharge. I met Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi to take their blessings. We will work together."
AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal expressed that Congress has always had deep roots in Sangli, and Patil's support reflects this enduring connection. In a post on X he said, "This is a truly fitting move which takes the legacy of Congress stalwart Vasantdada Patil ji forward."
About Vishal Patil
Vishal Patil is the son of Prakashbapu Patil, a five-term Congress MP from Sangli who passed away in 2005. Prakashbapu's son, Pratik Patil, then won the Sangli seat in a by-election and served as a union minister in the UPA government. Pratik recently retired from politics, paving the way for Vishal to step in and continue the family's political legacy.
