Pune, Dec. 21 -- Shalinitai Patil, former Maharashtra minister and wife of late chief minister Vasantdada Patil, passed away in Mumbai on Saturday. She was 94. Widely known for maintaining a strong and independent political identity, her most notable achievement came in 1999, when she defeated former Maharashtra assembly speaker and senior Congress leader Shankarrao Jagtap, bringing an end to his nearly 25-year-long legislative career. The win was regarded as one of the biggest political upsets in western Maharashtra at the time and highlighted her popularity and influence in Koregaon and surrounding areas. Shalinitai Patil began her political career at the grassroots level with the Satara district council and gradually rose through the ranks of the Congress party. She later served as president of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee's women's wing and was instrumental in organising and energising women party workers across western Maharashtra during a period when women's participation in electoral politics was still limited. She represented Sangli in the Lok Sabha and served as an MLA from Koregaon, besides holding ministerial portfolios in Congress governments during the 1980s. A trained scholar of law, she was known for her sharp articulation and uncompromising positions on policy matters. Following the formation of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shalinitai Patil aligned with Sharad Pawar and contested the Koregaon assembly seat on an NCP ticket, winning the election. She retained the seat in the 2004 assembly polls, consolidating her political influence. During this period, she also built a strong cooperative and factory network in Koregaon taluka, further strengthening her grassroots base. Differences later emerged between her and the NCP leadership over the issue of reservation based on economic criteria. Taking a firm and public stand, she refused to dilute her position despite opposition from party leaders. The issue proved politically sensitive and led to a widening rift with the party. She subsequently broke away to form a separate political outfit, Krantisena, through which she continued to advocate reservation on economic grounds, while maintaining that existing benefits for backward classes should not be diluted. The move reinforced her reputation as a leader willing to take politically inconvenient positions. Despite being closely associated with Vasantdada Patil, one of Maharashtra's tallest Congress leaders, Shalinitai Patil was widely regarded as a political figure in her own right - outspoken, decisive and unafraid of confrontation. In later years, she became openly critical of Sharad Pawar and his politics. Recalling her forthrightness, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said she never hesitated to express her views openly and conveyed political messages with candour, describing her as a clear-speaking leader, a scholar of law and a former minister who left a distinct mark on public life. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said Maharashtra had lost a distinguished personality, noting her contribution to public life and her steadfast support to Vasantdada Patil throughout his political journey. Satara MP Udayanraje Bhosale said her guidance proved inspirational at several stages of his political and social life, particularly during challenging times. Shalinitai Patil's legacy lies in her refusal to remain a symbolic political spouse, her ability to win and retain mass support, and her readiness to step outside established party lines to pursue causes she believed in - a rarity in Maharashtra politics of her generation....