Patel, 71, suffered from complications related to Covid-19.
“I have lost an irreplaceable companion, a faithful colleague and a friend. I am sorry for his passing and I am deeply sorry for his heartbroken family to whom I offer my sincere feelings of empathy and support,” said the President of Congress. Sonia Gandhi he said Wednesday as he condoned the death of Ahmed Patel.
Here are some notable things about Patel:
* Ahmed Patel was the go-to man in Congress who kept a low profile but quietly wielded power and meticulously executed the decisions of the leaders.
* Served as an effective link between the party and the government during the two terms of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) between 2004 and 2014. As political secretary to the president of Congress, Sonia Gandhi, he had access to leadership that no other party leader . had and worked the channels to solve various problems.
* Patel served as political secretary to Congress Speaker Sonia Gandhi for 16 years and rose over time. His relationship with party leaders throughout the generations was helpful on paper, as he efficiently executed decisions while acting as a bridge between top leaders and party officials at various levels.
* Patel was also the party’s key link with leaders across the political divide. While he played a key role in managing the party’s ties with the allies when the United Progressive Alliance governments were in power, he worked on equations when the party was not in power to see that Congress remained the pole. opposition leader and worked closely with other parties during joint programs against the BJP-led government.
Political journey: a councilor to a key congressional official
* Born on August 21, 1949, Patel earned a BA from Shree Jayendra Puri Arts and Science College, Bharuch, South Gujarat University.
* He was elected local body councilor in 1976 in Gujarat’s Bharuch municipal body at the age of 25 and became Sonia Gandhi’s political secretary and remained a bridge during the UPA-I term between the party and government.
* Patel began his political career in Congress from the youth wing and became a prominent leader in the Janta period and in post-emergency elections in 1977. He was asked by the party to participate on the ballot for the Congress of Bharuch Lok Sabha constituency. When many great players in Congress lost the election, a young leader in Congress won the election and became a member of Parliament.
* He was later appointed president of the Gujarat Youth Congress. He went on to represent Gujarat eight times in the Indian Parliament and three times in the Lower House between 1977-1989. He has represented Congress five times in the Upper House since 1993.
* Patel became deputy secretary of All India Congress Committee (AICC) during the mandate of Indira Gandhi. Then he approached Rajiv gandhi also and became its parliamentary secretary.
* Based on his organizational skills, he was appointed secretary of the Jawahar Bhawan Trust in 1988. He was asked by Rajiv Gandhi to oversee the construction of Jawahar Bhawan on New Delhi’s Raisina Road, a project that had been stalled for more than a decade.
* In a record year, just in time for the centennial celebrations of Jawaharlal Nehru’s birth, Patel successfully created Jawahar Bhawan.
* Long-time member of the Congressional Work Committee, he was among those who disputed and won the elections to the party’s highest decision-making body. Patel had also previously served as party treasurer when Congress was out of power between 1996 and 2000. He was also involved in the work of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
* He was appointed party treasurer in August 2018 prior to the Lok Sabha elections when Congress was facing a funding crisis. The appointment came when Rahul Gandhi was the party chairman and showed his resourcefulness and indispensableness to the party.
* He was not happy with the letter that a group of 23 congressional leaders wrote to Sonia giving her suggestions for the renewal of the party and, instead, wanted them to convey their points of view when meeting with her.
(With inputs from agencies)
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