R.R. Patil’s Son Rohit Patil Wins Hearts with His Debut Speech in Maharashtra Assembly; CM Devendra Fadnavis Responds (Watch Video)

Following the swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar as Deputy Chief Ministers, the Maharashtra Legislature held a special session to administer oaths to newly elected MLAs. Though the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) initially boycotted the ceremony with a protest on the Legislature’s steps, its MLAs took their oaths the next day. Rahul Narwekar was elected unopposed as Assembly Speaker, as MVA did not field a candidate.

During the congratulatory motion for Speaker Narwekar, several MLAs spoke, but it was Rohit Patil, son of late former Home Minister R.R. Patil, who stole the spotlight with his debut speech. Representing the Tasgaon-Kavathe Mahankal constituency under Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Patil delivered a sharp, humorous address targeting the ruling alliance.He remarked on India’s democratic resilience, stating, "Our country has seen many ‘Shahs’ but is blessed with democracy, setting it apart globally." This clever wordplay drew knowing smiles from the House.

Addressing the Speaker, Patil said, "You’ve earned the honor of being the youngest Speaker, while I’m the youngest MLA. I hope you’ll keep a close watch on me as you do on the senior advocate seated in the front row. "Drawing from a spiritual verse, he added, "Your name, O Lord, is sweeter than nectar. I trust the opposition will also experience such sweetness in their treatment." His comments sparked laughter and even a lighthearted response from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Patil concluded with a gentle appeal, urging cooperation from the ruling side: "I mentioned ‘sweeter than nectar’ on purpose — it holds special meaning in our scriptures. May this spirit of collaboration continue in the Assembly. "His witty and well-crafted speech earned applause from both sides of the House, marking a memorable legislative debut. 

Rohit Patil won the Tasgaon seat, defeating NCP-AP's Sanjaykaka Patil. Rohit Patil secured 128,403 votes, while Sanjaykaka Patil garnered 100,759 votes, losing by a margin of 27,644 votes.. In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Sumanvahini R R (Aba) Patil of NCP won in this seat defeating Ajitrao Shankarrao Ghorpade of SS by a margin of 61,802 which was 30.71% of the total votes cast for the seat. NCP had a vote share of 63.78% in 2019 in this seat.Tasgaon – Kavathe Mahankal is one of the 288 Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) constituencies in Maharashtra. This constituency is located in the Western region of Maharashtra, which is located in the West region of India. This seat can be classified as: Rural and falls in the Sangli district of Maharashtra.