Ahmed Patel

Ahmed Patel, an Agriculturist by Profession turned Politician was serving as the Member of Parliament and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress party. He served as the political secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi from 2001 to 2017. He is widely credited with the party's performance in the 2004 and 2009 General elections. Patel had represented Gujarat seven times in the Parliament of India, three times in the lower house or Lok Sabha (1977-1989) and four times in the Upper House or Rajya Sabha (since 1993). As of date, he was the only Muslim parliamentarian from the state of Gujarat. On 9 August 2017, Ahmed Patel again got elected to Rajya Sabha after defeating BJP's Balwant Singh. He was known to keep a low profile and rarely interacts with the media. Apart from politics, he was seen as a close aide to Nehru-Gandhi Family and its activities.
The key member of Congress think tank, Ahmed Patel had tested positive for COVID-19 in October 2020 and was undergoing treatment at Medanta Hospital, Gurgaon. He breathed his last on 25 November 2020 due to multiple organ failure.