It was an emotionally-charged day for Suman Patil yesterday. Two months after the death of her husband, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) stalwart and former Home minister R R Patil, Suman was elected to the state assembly with a thumping victory margin in the by-election from Tasgaon-Kavathe Mahankal constituency.

Suman Patil said that while her husband was seen as an Aaba, or elder brother, she would prefer if people thought of her as their younger sister