 He received his early education at Bhonsla Military School, Nashik, and did his masters in Economics and Political Science at Nagpur Mahavidyalaya, followed by a degree in Law at Morris College, Nagpur University.Sathe joined the Socialist Party upon at its inception in 1948 after which he joined the Congress.He made his debut as a Member of Parliament in 1972 for the Akola constituency in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.