Praful Manoharbhai Patel (born in Kolkata, India on 17 February 1957) is an Indian politician and businessman. His father, Manoharbhai Patel, was an Indian National Congress leader and had been elected to represent Gondia district in Maharashtra. Patel graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Bombay and married Varsha Patel, a Gujarati businessman's daughter. His political career began in 1991 and he was appointed as the Civil Aviation Minister in 2004.