Cllr Dr. Neeraj Patil (Kannada: ಡಾ. ನೀರಜ್ ಪಾಟೀಲ್), a Kannadiga, and NRI from Karnataka was the First Mayor of Asian origin in the London Borough of Lambeth from 2010-2011. He is a consultant in Accident and Emergency Medicine who completed his fellowship at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and was first elected as a Labour Councillor for the Larkhall ward in 2006 and re-elected in 2010. He served as a Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Worthing Hospital and was an active member of KWASH campaign to save the Emergency services at Worthing General Hospital. He has been elected for the British Labour Party. The important event during his mayoralty was to receive Pope Benedict the XVI during his official visit to London on 18 Sept, 2010. This was the first papal visit to the London