The cooperative legacy of Maharashtra’s Vikhe Patil family has found a new international chapter, with 41-year-old Nila Vikhe Patil elected to Sweden’s Parliament, the Riksdag, from the City of Stockholm constituency on the Green Party ticket. Sweden’s Parliament has 349 members, and the Swedish Election Authority confirmed the 2026 election results on Saturday.
Nila is the daughter of educationist Ashok Vikhe Patil, niece of Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, and granddaughter of former Union Minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil. More significantly for the cooperative sector, she is the great-granddaughter of Vithalrao Vikhe Patil, associated with the establishment of Asia’s first successful cooperative sugar factory.
The Vikhe Patil family has long been associated with Maharashtra’s cooperative, political and social development. Nila’s entry into the Swedish legislature thus adds an international dimension to a family legacy deeply connected with the cooperative movement.
Nila was born in Sweden and spent her early years in Ahmednagar before pursuing her career in Swedish public life. She has also served as a political adviser in Sweden’s Prime Minister’s Office.
