Army Veteran Lt Col Suresh Patil Vies for Pune Lok Sabha Seat
Sumit Singh
Pune, 23rd March 2024: In what could be described as a significant boost to the morale of ex-servicemen and serving army officials of all ranks, Army Veteran Lt Col (Retd) Suresh Patil will be contesting the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections on behalf of the Sainik Samaj Party ticket.
Patil, who addressed the media alongside party functionaries, stated that he would champion the cause of ordinary citizens and retired soldiers, who require strong and much-needed representation in the Lok Sabha. According to Patil, once elected, he would prioritize addressing the resettlement issues of ex-servicemen, actively striving to increase their sources of income and solve their sustenance problems in civilian life. The army veteran also highlighted challenges faced by ex-servicemen, such as the One Rank One Pension scheme and the deterioration of defence service conditions. He stated that as a parliamentarian from Pune, he would harness the talent and knowledge of army veterans to boost national productivity and overall development.
Party President Balbir Singh Parmar emphasized that the voice of the Sainik Samaj Party is the voice of our society, echoing the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Parmar expressed the party’s aims and objectives, aiming to bring educated, honest, patriotic, and talented citizens of society into politics. He described soldiers as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s ‘mawlas’ and the common society as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s ‘ryot’, emphasizing the party’s goal of inclusive representation. Parmar highlighted the party’s commitment to a people’s government and invited office bearers from any party to join the Sainik Samaj Party. He announced Colonel Patil and Tukaram Dafal as candidates representing the people in the Pune district Lok Sabha elections. Parmar praised Colonel Suresh Patil’s social service and Tukaram Dafal’s efforts in addressing water issues and supporting farmers in Maharashtra.
Lt Col Patil is an internationally renowned environmentalist nominated for the nationally acclaimed Padma Award. He has received numerous National and International Awards for his work in dam desilting, soil conservation, and environmental protection over the last three decades. Commissioned into the Indian Army in 1968, Lt Col Patil demonstrated bravery and leadership during the 1971 Indo-Pak war, despite being critically wounded by enemy shelling. His service included postings in various theaters of war such as the Desert-Barmer, High Altitude-Leh, and Jungles of Assam, along with international exposure as NCC Youth Exchange Programme co-ordinator to Canada.
Lt Col Patil was instrumental in filing a PIL that led to a landmark ruling allowing men in uniform to vote from their place of posting anywhere in the country. He believes Pune, as the seat of the Southern Command and several top-notch defence institutions, will benefit immensely from his election to the Lok Sabha. Patil pledges to continuously raise the voice of the common man, farmers, women, and especially ex-servicemen if elected.
