Ahmed Patel was born on 21 August 1949. He is an MP from Gujarat and a senior leader of the Indian National Congress party. He has represented Gujarat seven times in the Parliament of India, three times in the lower house or Lok Sabha (1977–1989) and four times in the Upper House or Rajya Sabha (since 1993). As of date, he is the only Muslim parliamentarian from the state of Gujarat. From 2001 to 2017, he was the political secretary to the Congress President Sonia Gandhi. He is widely credited with the party’s performance in the 2004 and 2009 General elections. By contesting local body elections in the Bharuch District of Gujarat in 1976, he became active in Politics.