Maharashtra BJP MLA Rajendra Sukhanand Patni, a three-term legislator from Karanja in Washim district, passed away in Mumbai on Friday after a prolonged illness. He was 59.
Patni, the Washim district president of the BJP, had joined the party after switching sides from the Shiv Sena. He was known as a gentleman politician in Maharashtra political circles and his ability to pursue issues related to Washim in the Vidarbha region had earned him immense goodwill, cutting across party lines.
“The untimely demise of Patni is extremely shocking and painful. We lost a sincere party leader who served his constituency and the organisation wholeheartedly,” Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday.
When Patni was in the Shiv Sena, he was part of the state Legislative Council ( MLC) from 1997 to 2003. In 2004, he contested the Assembly elections as a Shiv Sena candidate from Karanja and won the seat. However, he lost the 2009 elections.
The businessman-politician then moved to the BJP. In 2014, Patni contested as a BJP candidate from Karanja and won. Five years later, he won the seat again in 2019.
“With Patni’s demise, the party has lost a dedicated leader. He always pursued issues related to Vidarbha with earnestness,” state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said.
As BJP Washim district president, Patni strived to address the problems of the backward district and his initiative to provide skill development work to youngsters and make them self-reliant was appreciated. Though he kept a low profile, Patni was known to pursue issues like the farm crisis, job opportunities for the youth etc.
Patni had been battling cancer for the last few years. Fadnavis said that even when he was hospitalised, he “used his mobile phone to send SMSes and pursue issues related to his constituency”.