Congress rebel Vishal Patil to fight Sangli Lok Sabha polls as independent

Pune: Congress rebel Vishal Patil stuck to his decision to contest the Sangli Lok Sabha poll as an independent candidate and did not withdraw his nomination on Monday, which was the last day for the process. The Congress and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, both part of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, were engaged in a tussle over the Sangli seat for several weeks and the latter unilaterally declared wrestler Chandrahar Patil as its candidate. Incidentally, Congress leader Vishwajeet Kadam wrote to the party's central leadership to prevail upon Sena (UBT) to allow Patil to contest, but in vain.