diff --git a/kubernetes/e2e_test/test_client.py b/kubernetes/e2e_test/test_client.py
index 7a75bbde9f..2c28dedc65 100644
--- a/kubernetes/e2e_test/test_client.py
+++ b/kubernetes/e2e_test/test_client.py
@@ -532,9 +532,22 @@ def test_configmap_apis(self):
             name=name, namespace='default')
         self.assertEqual(name, resp.metadata.name)
 
-        test_configmap['data']['config.json'] = "{}"
+        json_patch_name = "json_patch_name"
+        json_patch_body = [{"op": "replace", "path": "/data",
+                            "value": {"new_value": json_patch_name}}]
         resp = api.patch_namespaced_config_map(
-            name=name, namespace='default', body=test_configmap)
+            name=name, namespace='default', body=json_patch_body)
+        self.assertEqual(json_patch_name, resp.data["new_value"])
+        self.assertEqual(None, resp.data.get("config.json"))
+        self.assertEqual(None, resp.data.get("frontend.cnf"))
+
+        merge_patch_name = "merge_patch_name"
+        merge_patch_body = {"data": {"new_value": merge_patch_name}}
+        resp = api.patch_namespaced_config_map(
+            name=name, namespace='default', body=merge_patch_body)
+        self.assertEqual(merge_patch_name, resp.data["new_value"])
+        self.assertEqual(None, resp.data.get("config.json"))
+        self.assertEqual(None, resp.data.get("frontend.cnf"))
 
         resp = api.delete_namespaced_config_map(
             name=name, body={}, namespace='default')