Vasantdada Patil

Vasantdada Patil Biography

Vasantdada Patil was a prominent political leader from Maharashtra who served as State’s Chief Minister twice. He served as CM during the period -17 May 1977 to 18 July 1978 and 2 February 1983 to 1 June 1985. He also served as Governor of Rajasthan from 1985 to 1987. The first mass leader in Maharashtra's politics, he was known to be the first modern Maratha strongman who brought in many reforms in the state. He was associated with Indian National Congress since pre-independent period. He was elected to parliament in 1980.

Vasantdada Patil was born on 13 November 1917 in Padmale village. Sangli is his hometown. He was interested in farming. He started off his political journey as a young campaigner for Congress party in the mid-1930s. He campaigned for Dhulappa Bhaurao Navale in 1937 which impressed the leader who later suggested Vasantdada's name for Tasgaon Taluka Congress secretory to Advocate Kutte & R. P. Patil. This marked his successful beginning in politics. He was associated with Satyagraha movement when Quit India Movement was announced by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942.

But he was influenced by the ideas of Netaji Subhashchandra Bose too, who believed that Satyagrahas alone cannot give India freedom. So he looted railways and merchants and many criminal cases were filed against him. He was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment by British. But he got released on 25 April 1946. After Indian independence he worked for farmers’ welfare. In 1958 he along with a group of friends started Co-operative Sugar factory on 90 acres of land. In 1960, he started an Industrial Society on 135 acres, and later made many significant reforms to the field of agriculture, irrigation, industry and education.

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Updated: June 19, 2016