New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined an urgent hearing of Patidar leader Hardik Patel's plea for a stay on his 2018 conviction in a 2015 rioting case that has all but ended his chances of contesting in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The Patidar leader, who had joined the Congress on March 12, had sought the stay to pave way for him contesting the general elections that kick off on April 11.