At 94, S R Patil doesn’t believe in the conventional methods of keeping fit. “Walking? No, no, not even jogging,” says Maharashtra’s oldest candidate, contesting from Shirol in Kolhapur where he is the sitting Congress MLA. “I am a workaholic,” he says. “I start my day at 6.30, am in office at 8.30 and remain there till 8.30. Simple eating, going to bed early, and being on the job always have kept me going.” His secretary, Ashok Shinde, vouches for his fitness: “Except for one angioplasty, Patil sir has had no age-related problems such as blood pressure or diabetes.” And Patil says, “I am only Class VII pass, but others can learn a lesson or two from my life.” He has won three assembly elections starting 1957, with a three-decade break from politics along the way. He proudly recalls his first victory, against Ratnakar Kumbhar of the Congress. “Being a socialist and associated with Rashtriya Seval Dal, I was with the Samyukt Maharashtra Samiti. I defeated Kumbhar with a margin of 13,000,” says Patil. He is married to Krishnabai, 85, and has a son, a daughter, and four granddaughters from the son, who himself has gone on to become a grandfather. After completing his term, Patil took a break from politics and established in 1971 a sugar factory, Shree Datta Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana. He points proudly at a trophy from the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories. Spanning 200 acres, the factory today employs 5,000 people and pays sugarcane farmers Rs 2,500 per quintal. “Our rate is among the highest by any factory in western Maharashtra,” he says, a claim endorsed by MP Raju Shetti of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna that has been agitating on behalf of cane prices. Patil returned to politics in 1992 and lost his only Lok Sabha election. In 1999, he became an MLA again by defeating Shyamrao Patil of the NCP. “This was when the Congress had fallen apart, which gave birth to the NCP. These were difficult times for the Congress and I was among the few who withstood the test in western Maharashtra,” he says. In the last election, Patil defeated Ulhas Patil of the then fledgling Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana. “A few weeks ago, I spoke to the chief minister about my intention to contest again, but I was not expecting the ticket in view of my age. My supporters, however, got the form and filled it up,” he says.
