Maha man arrives in helicopter to file poll nomination

The chief of a local outfit in Maharashtra's Solapur district took the first step towards becoming a high-flying politician quite literally by arriving in a helicopter to file his nominations for the Assembly polls scheduled for October 21.

Sanjay Patil, head of the Jai Malhar Brigade, filed his nomination on Friday from drought-prone Sangola seat, famous otherwise in the country's political theatre for having elected the same MLA, Ganpatrao Deshmukh of the Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), for 11 consecutive terms.

"A lot of candidates use various ways to file their nominations. I too thought of unique ideas and decided on arriving here by helicopter," he told PTI, adding that the chopper, which took off from Pune, belonged to his friend.

His nomination as the unofficial NCP candidate was rejected while that as part of his own outfit was accepted, though as per EC rules he would come under the list of Independents.

Patil said, if elected, he planned to ensure Sangola loses its drought-prone tag.