Matondkar, best remembered for her roles in Rangeela, Judaai, Bhoot and Kaun, will face off with Gopal Shetty, who had won the polls in 2014 with one of the highest margins – over 4.4 lakh – in the country.
Faced with the seemingly insurmountable task of breaching a BJP's fortress, the Congress finally fielded actor Urmila Matondkar to take on its rival in Mumbai North constituency in the Lok Sabha elections.
Matondkar, best remembered for her roles in Rangeela, Judaai, Bhoot and Kaun, will face off with Gopal Shetty, who had won the polls in 2014 with one of the highest margins – over 4.4 lakh – in the country.
Sources said the Congress didn't have a candidate who would stand a chance in the constituency as it has a large population of Gujaratis, traditionally BJP voters. It went for the glamour factor hoping for a repeat of its performance 15 years ago.
Just before the 2004 general elections, the party had roped in superstar Govinda and pitted him against BJP's Ram Naik, a five-term MP and a Union minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government. Govinda, who gained heavily in areas dominated by north Indians, proved to be a giant killer.
The Raj Thackeray-led MNS spoiled the party for Naik in the next Lok Sabha polls after its candidate Shirish Parkar split BJP votes by garnering nearly 1.47 lakh votes. This helped Congress's Sanjay Nirupam defeat Naik by 6,000 votes. Naik is currently serving as the Uttar Pradesh Governor.
But 2014 was different. BJP fielded Gopal Shetty, who had risen from a mandal president to corporator to a 3-term MLA. The victory margin of Shetty meant that Congress would need a miracle to stop him in 2019. The Congress's dilemma became evident when Nirupam announced that he wasn't interested in contesting from this seat. He was later given a ticket from Mumbai North-West.
Matondkar joined the Congress this week and her candidature was announced on Friday. She along with Mumbai Congress president Milind Deora and Nirupam met voters in the constituency which covers suburbs like Borivali, Kandivali, Malad and Goregaon. Mumbai votes on April 29.
"If you're being questioned about supporting a 'film star', tell them that the only star in a democracy is the common man. Unlike the BJP, the Congress Party will not resort to hate politics but will win people with love," said Matondkar.
Of the six assembly segments in Mumbai North, BJP has four MLAs, while the Congress and Shiv Sena each has one legislator. Malad West, where Congress's Aslam Shaikh is the MLA, has a sizeable population of minorities which would be an advantage to Matondkar. However, sources said, she is unlikely to get many votes in other segments. With her star power, she might dent Shetty's victory margin, but a win appears remote for the Congress in this constituency.
Why Glamour Factor
- In 2004, Congress fielded actor Govinda, who defeated BJP’s Ram Naik, a five-term MP and a Union minister in Vajpayee’s government
- BJP’s Gopal Shetty won in 2014 polls by over 4.4L votes. Congress has fielded actor Urmila Motondkar, hoping for a repeat of 2004
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