Nila Vikhe Patil, Maharashtra Minister's Niece, Elected To Sweden Parliament

Nila Vikhe Patil, daughter of Maharashtra educationist Ashok Vikhe Patil, has been elected as a Member of Parliament from the Stockholm City constituency in the national election held on September 13.

Nila, 41, said she was looking forward to contributing to the city and the country.

"It feels nice to be a part of the 349-member Parliament. I am looking forward to contributing to the city and the country," she told news agency PTI.

"I would like to be 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.

Nila is also the great-granddaughter of the founder of Asia's first co-operative sugar factory, Vithalrao Vikhe Patil, and granddaughter of the late Union minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil.

"I hope to make my grandfather proud. He made me read the state budget when I was 15", Nila said.

About Nila Vikhe Patil

Nila was born in Sweden and has spent her early years in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra. She is the niece of Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil.

Her Education

Nila holds a bachelor's degree and an MBA from Gothenburg School of Business, with Economics and Law, and also studied an MBA at the University de Complutense in Madrid.

Her Political Career

Nila has served as a political advisor in the Swedish Prime Minister's Office, focusing on finance, taxes, and housing during the Stefan Lofven administration.

She has been a member of the City Council of the Stockholm Municipal Corporation.

Ashok Vikhe Patil, chairman of the Vikhe Patil Foundation, which runs a chain of educational institutes across Maharashtra, said he felt proud of his daughter's achievement.

Nila said, "I love India dearly and I feel very connected. I have lots of close Indian friends. I miss my grandfather a lot. He used to call me almost weekly during his last years." 

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) election. The four parties that make up or support the outgoing conservative-led government took 173 seats.

The opposition Green Party is focused on environmentalism, renewable energy, and green politics.

Nila has been active in the Green Party for 25 years and is a member of the Election Committee of the Stockholm Green Party.

Since 2020, she has worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), a global services network, offering strategy, management, technology, and risk consulting.