Mrs. Patil, more popularly known as Shalinitai, was an important politician in her own right who held ministerial positions in the Congress party governments of Maharashtra during the 1980s.
At a young age, Shalini was married to Shyamrao Jadhav, a gentleman belonging to her own community and similar background, in a match arranged by their families in the usual Indian way.
Her education continued with the full support of her husband: Shalini Jadhav earned a degree in law and was called to the Bar.
She had four children with Shyamrao Jadhav and discharged her family responsibilities with the help of her husband and his near relatives, while pursuing first her education and then her political career.
Shyamrao Jadhav died in 1964, and shortly after his death, Shalini married Marathi politician Vasantdada Patil.
[5] During the 1970s, she founded a charity called Rajmata Jijau Pratishthan to raise funds for hospitals for the poor and women related activities.