Maharashtra-born Nila Vikhe Patil elected to Swedish parliament

Nila Vikhe Patil, a Swedish politician with deep political roots in Maharashtra, has been elected to Sweden's parliament.

Running for the Green Party in the Stockholm City constituency, the 41-year-old secured her seat in the 349-member Riksdag following a tight national election on 13 September. Her victory comes as Sweden's left-leaning opposition bloc clinched a narrow majority, triggering a shift in the country's leadership.

The Swedish Election Authority confirmed that the four-party opposition alliance won 176 seats, just three more than the conservative coalition that had been in government. Following the results, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson resigned, and Parliament Speaker Andreas Norlén asked Social Democratic leader Magdalena Andersson to explore forming a new government. The Green Party won 22 seats in the incoming parliament, which is scheduled to take its seats on 28 September.

Speaking to the Press Trust of India after the result, Vikhe Patil said she wants to focus her parliamentary work on environmental issues and children's welfare.

"I would like to be a voice for those who cannot vote," she said. "I want to contribute to a society where every child gets a chance for a good future. We need a habitable planet with clean water, living nature and as few human-caused natural disasters as possible."

A legacy in two countries

While Vikhe Patil’s political career has developed in Sweden, her family has a long history in Indian public life. She is the daughter of Ashok Vikhe Patil, an educationist who chairs the Vikhe Patil Foundation, and the niece of Maharashtra state minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil.

Her late grandfather, Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, was a former Union minister. She recalled how he shaped her early interest in governance. "I hope to make my grandfather proud. He made me read the state budget when I was 15," she said. Her great-grandfather, Vithalrao Vikhe Patil, was also a prominent figure in Maharashtra, having founded Asia’s first cooperative sugar factory.

Born in Sweden, Vikhe Patil spent her early childhood in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, before returning to Sweden for her education and career. She holds a bachelor's degree and an MBA from the Gothenburg School of Business, where she studied economics and law, and also studied at the Complutense University of Madrid.

From advisory roles to parliament

Vikhe Patil has been active in the Green Party for 25 years, starting in its youth wing. Before winning her parliamentary seat, she built a career in public policy, local government, and finance. She served as a political adviser in the Swedish Prime Minister’s Office during Stefan Löfven’s administration, where she worked on finance, taxation, and housing policy.

She also spent four years as a municipal councillor on the Stockholm City Council between 2018 and 2022. Alongside her political work, she has worked for the consulting firm PwC since 2020 and became an authorised public accountant in April 2025.

Despite spending her adult life in Europe, she said she remains closely tied to India. "I love India dearly and I feel very connected. I have lots of close Indian friends," she said, adding that her grandfather used to call her almost every week during his final years.

Her father, Ashok Vikhe Patil, told PTI that he was proud of his daughter's achievement.