Nila Vikhe Patil, a Green Party politician with roots in Maharashtra, has been elected to Sweden’s Parliament from the City of Stockholm constituency in the country’s national election held on September 13.
The 41-year-old will be among the 349 members of the Riksdag, Sweden’s national legislature. The Swedish Parliament’s official records list Vikhe Patil as a Green Party member representing the City of Stockholm, with her birth year recorded as 1985.
“It feels nice to be a part of the 349-member Parliament. I am looking forward to contributing to the city and the country,” Nila was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
She said she wanted to use her position to represent people who could not vote and help create better opportunities for children.
“I would like to be voice for those who cannot vote. 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,” she added.
From Ahmednagar to Swedish politics
Born in Sweden, Nila spent her early years in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar. She is the daughter of educationist Ashok Vikhe Patil, chairman of the Vikhe Patil Foundation, which runs educational institutions across Maharashtra.
Nila is the granddaughter of former Union minister Balasaheb Vikhe Patil and the great-granddaughter of Vithalrao Vikhe Patil, who founded Asia’s first cooperative sugar factory.
Speaking about her grandfather, Nila said she hoped her election would make him proud. “I hope to make my grandfather proud. He made me read the state budget when I was 15,” she said.
She has also maintained a close connection with India and said she continues to have many close Indian friends.
“I love India dearly and I feel very connected. I have lots of close Indian friends. I miss my grandfather a lot. He used to call me almost weekly during his last years,” she said.
Nila holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from the Gothenburg School of Business, where she studied economics and law. She also studied at the Complutense University of Madrid in Spain.
Her Swedish election profile says she entered party politics at the age of 19 and has spent about two decades in political roles. It also lists her profession as an authorised public accountant.
A long career in the Green Party
Nila has been active in Swedish politics for about 25 years and is associated with the Green Party. Before entering Parliament, she served as a political adviser in the Swedish prime minister’s office during Stefan Lofven’s administration, where she worked on finance, taxation and housing.
She later served on the Stockholm City Council and held several positions within the Green Party and its youth organisations. She is also a member of the Stockholm Green Party’s election committee.
Nila has worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) since 2020 and became an authorised public accountant in April 2025.
During her election campaign, she described her political vision as one centred on a sustainable future, biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, while also highlighting the need to protect children from the effects of extreme weather and threats to democracy.
Green Party wins 22 seats in final result
Sweden’s September 13 parliamentary election produced a closely divided Riksdag. The Swedish Election Authority confirmed the final results on September 19, with the Social Democrats winning 99 seats, the Moderates 70, the Sweden Democrats 62, the Left Party 30, the Centre Party 25, the Christian Democrats 22, the Green Party 22 and the Liberals 19.
The Social Democrats, Left Party, Centre Party and Green Party together secured 176 of the 349 seats, while the four parties that formed or supported the outgoing conservative-led government won 173 seats.
The Social Democrats emerged as the largest party with 99 seats, while the Green Party secured 22 seats. The final turnout was 84.9%, with 6,834,413 people voting in the Riksdag election.
Nila’s election therefore places her among the 349 members of the new Riksdag, where she will represent the City of Stockholm for the 2026 to 2030 parliamentary term. The new Riksdag is scheduled to meet for its roll-call on September 28, followed by the formal opening of the parliamentary session on September 29.