‘I, Nilesh Dyandev Lanke…’ Why floor belonged to this MP in Parliament

NILESH LANKE won twice. The first time was on June 4, when the NCP (SP) leader defeated his heavyweight BJP rival, Sujay Vikhe-Patil, from Ahmednagar in Maharashtra. The second time was Tuesday, when the first-timer MP stepped up to take the oath in Parliament and began with the words, “I, Nilesh Dyandev Lanke…”.

All the way to Ahmednagar, the words rang loud and clear. During the poll campaign, Lanke’s BJP rival – belonging to the powerful Vikhe-Patil family – had mocked him, saying Lanke did not know either English or Hindi. Throwing a challenge, Sujay Vikhe-Patil had shared a video clip with the media, and said: “If he (Lanke) manages to speak even this much Hindi and English (as in the video), I will not file my nomination.”

A day later, with Parliament having wrapped up the swearing-in and taken off to a tumultuous start, Lanke admits he is a contented man. Speaking in Marathi, he tells The Indian Express over the phone: “Nothing is impossible in this world. Nobody is born with special abilities, everybody learns to swim when thrown in the water. I am like that.”

The 44-year-old says he chose not to respond to Vikhe-Patil’s barbs during the campaign deliberately. “I did not reply to anybody then, rather I bypassed the topic asking people whether they wanted an MP who will work for them or one who can speak English… People chose me over my opponent,” he says.

In Ahmednagar, few disagree that Lanke’s actions speak louder than his words, one reason why the battle-seasoned Sharad Pawar trusted him to take on Vikhe-Patil. The rivalry between the Pawars and Vikhe-Patils dates back four decades, with Sujay a fourth-generation politician from his family. Earlier in the Congress, the Vikhe-Patils, who have hitched their wagon to