Mumbai: Former Maharashtra Home Minister and senior NCP leader R R Patil, who had been undergoing treatment for oral cancer, passed away on Monday here.
He was undergoing treatment at Lilavati Hospital.
Following is a brief history of his life and political career:
- Patil was a prominent NCP leader from Sangli in western Maharashtra.
- He became Home Minister of Maharashtra for the second time after the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly election victory of the Congress-NCP alliance.
- He was also the former Deputy CM of Maharashtra.
- Patil was a member of Sangli Zillah Parishad from 1979 to 1990 from Savlaj constituency.
- 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 CM of Maharashtra.
- He was also the Home Minister of Maharashtra in the previous government.
- His comments in the aftermath of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, drew severe criticism for downplaying the gravity of the situation.
- He was forced to resign on 1 December 2008 after further remarks on the attacks.