Shriniwas Patil appointed Sikkim governor

Two-time Lok Sabha MP from Karad and retired bureaucrat Shriniwas Patil donned a new cap on Wednesday when he was appointed as the Sikkim governor. When contacted, Patil said he was informed by the Rashtrapati Bhavan over the phone about his appointment. He attributed his success to his leader and friend from college days, Sharad Pawar.

Originally from Karad, Patil has a close connect with Pune, as a student and as an administrator. He did his BA in 1961 from SP College and MA from University of Pune. Between 1992 and 1995, he served as the PCMC commissioner and chairman of PCNTDA. During his tenure, he built the Bhakti-Shakti sculpture on Mumbai-Pune expressway at Nigdi.

Son of a small farmer, Patil pursued a law degree in 1965 from the University of Bombay, where he studied with former president Pratibha Patil. He was then selected as the deputy collector after passing his MPSC examination in 1965 and was promoted to IAS in 1979.

After opting for voluntary retirement in 1999, Patil joined NCP on the advice of Pawar. The minister gave him a ticket from Karad for the 1999 general elections and Patil won the Karad seat. He retained the seat in 2004 elections but after reorganisation of the constituency, Pawar asked Patil to take rest.

Patil is settled in Pune with his wife Rajanidevi and son Sarang and his family.