S.K. Patil or Sadashiv Kanoji Patil was a former Congress leader from Maharashtra. A veteran freedom-fighter, he was a scholar and a fine orator. He was a qualified journalist. He had exceptional organising skills and strengthened the Congress organisation in Mumbai at the grassroot level. He was thrice elected Mayor of Bombay and was called "the Uncrowned King of Bombay" (3)(4)(5)(6). He supported, assisted and nurtured a number of institutions, particularly in Mumbai and enriched the city culturally.(2) He was the Member of Parliament from Bombay when it was part of the unified Bombay State. He was a Union Minister during the time of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi. As the agriculture minister in the early years after the Independence of India, he closely coordinated with the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration in the USA to get food aid.
Though a three time MP, he was defeated by George Fernandes in Mumbai South (Lok Sabha constituency) in 1967 for 4th Lok Sabha. Fernandes earned fame as "Giant Killer" on defeating Patil.
In the Lok Sabha discussions on the report of the States Reorganization Commission, on 15 November 1955, Patil demanded that the Bombay city be constituted as an autonomous city-state, laying great stress on its cosmopolitan character.[1] However, Bombay state was partitioned into the present-day states of Gujarat and Maharashtra in 1960, and the city of Bombay (now called Mumbai) became the capital of Maharashtra.
(2) How Patil secured land for Shanmukhanand Hall when founded: Indian Express 29/05/1986 : "Shanmukhananda hall in Debt Crisis" by Santosh Bana http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/advertise.nsf/(docid)/D620BBCFABC11140E5256C83007E478D
(3)http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/rajdeepsardesai/1/53835/wake-up-mumbai.html (4)http://www.kudaldeshkar.com/WeareProudof.php (5)http://www.rediff.com/election/2004/apr/02espec1.htm (6)http://books.google.co.in/books?id=npdqD_TXucQC&pg=PA53&lpg=PA53&dq=uncrowned+king+of+bombay&source=bl&ots=5QDbUnndPK&sig=IzieB9DRtmxkm94KVfczYcPQaAE&hl=en&ei=o4OVTrWxN4_trQeyopnHBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CCkQ6AEwBTgK#v=onepage&q=uncrowned%20king%20of%20bombay&f=false