Archive · 24 Sep 2026
Swedish MP Nila Vikhe Patil Rejects Estranged Family's Claims
Nila Vikhe Patil was elected to Sweden's Parliament.
She belongs to the Green Party and was elected from Stockholm City.
Her uncle Radhakrishna and cousin Sujay are politicians in India.
Nila says she has not been in contact with them for more than ten years.
She was surprised when they spoke publicly about her victory.
She says their politics and party choices are different from hers.
Radhakrishna congratulated her and called her success a source of family pride.
Nila says she wants her achievement to be seen as her own.
Nila Vikhe Patil says her estranged uncle and cousin are trying to associate themselves with her Swedish election victory.
She says she has had no contact with Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil or Sujay Vikhe Patil for more than a decade.
Nila, a Green Party member, says her political views and party commitments differ from those of her relatives.
She was elected from Stockholm City to Sweden's 349-member Parliament on September 13.
Radhakrishna congratulated Nila and called her election a matter of family pride, while Sujay lost India's 2024 Lok Sabha election.
- Who
- Nila Vikhe Patil, her uncle Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, and her cousin Sujay Vikhe Patil.
- What
- Nila challenged her relatives' claims of association with her election to Sweden's Parliament.
- When
- Nila was elected on September 13; the article does not specify the year of her Swedish election.
- Where
- Nila was elected from Stockholm City in Sweden.
- Why
- Nila says her relatives have been estranged from her for more than a decade and have different political ideologies.
Nila's account
Family's account
Credit for the election victory
Nila's account
Nila says her uncle and cousin are trying to take a 'piggyback ride' on her independent political success despite their lack of contact with her.
Family's account
Radhakrishna described Nila's election as a source of 'pride and joy' for the family, while Sujay was reported to have highlighted the family's political connection.
Family relationship
Nila's account
Nila says she has had no contact with Radhakrishna or Sujay for more than a decade, although she recently received a congratulatory call from her uncle.
Family's account
Radhakrishna publicly congratulated Nila and presented her success as recognition of her consistent efforts and a matter of family pride.
Political identity
Nila's account
Nila says her politics differ from those of her relatives and that she will not change her party.
Family's account
Radhakrishna has changed political affiliations, having previously been with Congress and Shiv Sena before joining the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2019.
- Elected official
- Nila Vikhe Patil
- Party
- Green Party
- Constituency
- Stockholm City
- Parliament size
- 349 members
- Family relationship
- Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil is Nila's uncle; Sujay Vikhe Patil is her cousin.
- Family contact
- Nila says she has had no contact with them for more than a decade.
- Education and prior work
- Nila completed an MBA in Economics and Law and previously served as a political adviser in the Swedish Prime Minister's Office.