Woman candidate delivers baby during poll heat
Rupali Patil’s extended family now makes sure that she gets time with the baby and for rest, while also handling election work.
An inspiring story has emerged from Maharashtra’s Pune district. Rupali Patil, 34, a candidate of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, has given birth to a healthy baby while campaigning with full strength for the coming municipal corporation elections. While taking care of her baby, Rupali is back on field, campaigning for herself.
“After she delivered the baby, she told me she wanted to be back on field as soon as possible. Her delivery was uneventful. She gave birth within 15 minutes of being brought to the hospital. She was discharged in 48 hours after delivery. Today, she is back to her community work,” Dr Girija Wagh, Rupali’s gynaecologist, told The Sunday Guardian from Pune.
But a word of caution was also sounded by her. “This could happen because we worked on Rupali’s health from at least a year before she decided to conceive. Her body was completely stabilised and prepared for pregnancy. Even during pregnancy, she took very good care of her health. She followed all the instructions to the core. She was continuously well-monitored,” she said.
Today, Rupali’s entire extended family of around 35 persons is on field, campaigning for her. They make sure she gets time with the baby and for rest, while also handling the election work. Family support has played a pivotal role in her political life, she says.
Rupali has been in politics since 2006. She joined Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena soon after it was formed in the same year. She has been a corporator since 2012. When she stood for elections for the first time in 2012, she defeated the BJP corporator from her ward with a huge margin. He was being elected continuously from that ward for 40 years before that.
“The party has no reason to doubt her capabilities. She has been one of the most courageous members of our party. Till now, she has gone to prison for our Marathi students. She can be compared with Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. Why should we deny ticket to her just because she is pregnant and is expected to deliver her baby during election time?” asked a senior MNS leader.
MNS president Raj Thackeray visited Rupali in her Pune house recently. He congratulated her for her grit. The family insisted that he name the new born. “You are our Benazir Bhutto. (Late Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto is known to have done political campaigning when she was heavily pregnant in 1988.) Take care of your health. Don’t let too many people visit the baby. He is still too young. Save him from any external infection,” he told Rupali.
Rupali said: “Initially, I was sceptical about being pregnant during election time. When I came to know of the date, I realised it would clash with elections. I didn’t want to miss this opportunity. I have worked hard for the people here. I wanted to stand for these elections. That is when my gynaecologist told me to calm down. She boosted my morale, and supported me. She explained to me that a woman’s body is more active during pregnancy. That’s when I decided that I will keep the pregnancy and I will stand for these elections.” As a strategy, she started campaigning along with her team since December 2016 itself. She said, she was sure of getting a ticket from the party. “The geographical boundaries of my ward have been redrawn. That is why there was a large area which had come under my ward for the first time. My original ward knew my work. But I had to approach each household of the extended ward, to ensure that they know my work,” she said.
Rupali continued rallying and campaigning throughout the last trimester of her pregnancy. “I did not make an issue of my pregnancy. I already have a six-year-old daughter. My first pregnancy was quite difficult and painful. So I took medical help this time, even before I decided to conceive.”