In 2014, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Maharashtra's Bhandara-Gondia Lok Sabha constituency. He won the election by a margin of 1.5 lakh votes, defeating the current MP, senior NCP leader, and former Union Minister Praful Patel.[1]
Nana Falgunrao Patole, also known as Nanabhau, was born on June 5, 1963, in Gondia, Maharashtra. He is the son of Falgunrao Patole and Mirabai Patole and was born into a farmer family.[5] His father worked as an agricultural officer, while his mother was a housewife. Patole completed his primary education in Sakoli and pursued his secondary and higher secondary education in schools in Gondia and Chandrapur.[6][7] He completed his college education BA from Manoharbhai Patel College (MBPC) in Sakoli, Maharashtra. Nanabhau had been fond of social work since childhood. College elections were a way for him to demonstrate his leadership. He gained recognition as a leader after that.[8] According to him, his family passed on the culture of social work to him. His father hated both 'khaki and khadi'. [9]
Social work
Nana Falgunrao Patole is known for his social work focused on the issues faced by farmers and marginalized communities. In response to the government's Forest-Land Act, which threatened to displace many tribal and landless agricultural laborers in Gondia district, Patole organized an anti-encroachment march on September 5, 2022. About 10,000 tribal forest laborers were present at this event, with Patole and 149 other people being detained during the protest against government policies.[10]
After being arrested, Patole and his colleagues went on hunger strike in jail to seek justice.[11] This resulted in the government suspending the encroachment removal program, which mitigated the threat to the livelihoods of many tribal people and landless laborers. [11][12]
Nana Falgunrao Patole, often referred to as the "Messiah of the Poor," is known for his social work aimed at supporting various castes and tribes, ensuring they benefit from government schemes and educational opportunities. [13][14]
He completed the Durgabai Doh dam project on the Chulband River, which began in 1995 and was finished in 2015, providing irrigation to 9,634 hectares of farmland and benefiting multiple villages.[15]
Patole has actively engaged in social initiatives, organizing group weddings. including advocating for a sub-district hospital and improving infrastructure for farmers.[16]
Political career
In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he contested the constituency as the BJP/NDA candidate and secured victory, defeating then Union Minister Praful Patel by a margin of 149,254 votes. From 1999 to 2009, he served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Lakhandur Assembly constituency after delimitation he served as member of Sakoli from 2009. Known for his advocacy for OBC rights, he also held the position of Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. Patole resigned from his Lok Sabha membership by submitting his resignation letter to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, citing the BJP's double standards on farmers' policies.[17] He subsequently rejoined the Indian National Congress and was appointed the national chairman of the All India Kisan Congress.[18]
