NCP Leader RR Patil dies of Cancer at 57

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former Deputy CM and Home Minister of Maharashtra, RR Patil died at the age of 57. He was suffering from oral cancer. Patil, who was known for his controversial, yet straightforward talks, managed to win from Tasgaon in 2014 Assembly polls despite the Modi Wave. He was suffering from oral cancer for long. Patil breathed his last at Mumbai’s Leelavati Hospital.

Born on 16 August 1957 in the village of Anjani, in the Tasgaon taluka, Sangli district in the State of Maharashtra, RR Patil, had entered politics as the Zilla Parishad Member in 1979. He was elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1990, 1995, 1999, 2004 and 2009, representing Tasgaon, in Sangli district.

He became the Chief Whip of the Congress Party in the assembly as well as the chairman of the public accounts committee of the assembly in 1996–97 and 1998–99. On November 1, 2004, he was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He was forced to resign on 1 December 2008 following his controversial remarks aftermath 26/11 terror attacks.

RR Patil (Raosaheb Ramrao Patil) became Home Minister of Maharashtra for the second time after the 2009 Maharashtra assembly poll victory of the Congress-NCP alliance. He had a clean image and never faced any corruption charges although his party leaders were dubbed as ‘corrupt’. RR Patil is survived by two children – Smita Patil and Rohit Patil.

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis was the first among the top leaders to rush to the hospital after the news broke out. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Sonia Gandhi, President Pranab Mukherjee and NCP leader Sharad Pawar condoled RR Patil’s sudden demise. Maharashtra lost second top leader after Gopinath Munde in less than a year. He will cremated at Tasgaon tomorrow.