New Delhi:
With the deadline for filing the nomination minutes away, a BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Deoria of Uttar Pradesh had to sprint to file his papers.
Shashank Mani Tripathi had to run around 100 meters to file his nomination, the deadline for which would end at 3 pm on Thursday.
Mr Tripathi attended a program organized before his appointment to be addressed by Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
However, the event was postponed and the 54-year-old politician had just 15 minutes to submit his nomination.
He then decided to run to the nomination center with BJP's district president Bhupendra Singh and others accompanying him and joining him.
“I was a runner in college.”
After filing his nomination, Shashank Mani Tripathi was asked by reporters about the reason behind the delay.
He replied that after attending the event organized for him, he had to meet many people who joined his convoy on the way to the center.
“I have been a runner during my college days at IIT and I have used that today,” Mr Tripathi said.
Mr Tripathi is the third generation of his family to enter politics and is contesting his first election.
His father, Prakash Mani Tripathi, was a Lok Sabha member from Deoria in 1996, while his grandfather, Surat Narain Mani Tripathi, was an IAS officer and also a member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.