Draped in green salwar kameez with a light green Nehru jacket, Bollywood’s “item girl” Rakhi Sawant on Wednesday announced her decision to contest the lok Sabha polls as an Independent candidate from Mumbai north-west constituency.
“People have been mobbing me and asking me why I am not fighting elections…So then I said why notIJ” she said at a news conference called to announce her decision to contest the polls.
Claiming that she has ‘quit’ Bollywood to ‘serve’ people, Sawant said: “I don’t care what people think of me. I have a clear-cut agenda for future. I have always fought for people’s rights, and I will continue to fight for them”.
Sawant said she would launch a political party with green chilly as its symbol. She said she would file her nomination from Mumbai north-west constituency on March 29.
She is pitted against Congress’ sitting MP Gurudas Kamat, Shiv Sena’s senior leader Gajanan Kirtikar, actor-director Mahesh Manjrekar of the MNS and Aam Aadmi Party's Mayant Gandhi.
Also in the fray is Samajwadi Party’s candidate Kamaal R Khan. Known as KRK on twitter, Khan is the actor-producer who made a film titled Deshdrohi when Raj Thackeray’s violent campaign against north Indian migrants was in its peak.
Khan poked fun at her through a tweet: “BJP kaa namak itna kamzor hain ki Rakhi Sawant ne bhi ek week mein namak haraami Kardi,” (The loyalty factor in BJP is so weak that even Rakhi Sawant has turned disloyal)”.
KRK was referring to Sawant’s recent visit to the capital, where she caused ripples at the BJP headquarters.
On a when retired Gen V K Singh joined the BJP, Sawant had made presence felt at the party headquarters. “I am a daughter of the BJP and it is like my home. I want people to support Modi, and I am sure he is going to be the next PM,” she had told media persons.
“The BJP had offered me a ticket from Sriramapur in West Bengal. But I did not accept it as I am a Mumbaikar and can speak Marathi and Hindi. I do not know local language of that area so why should I contest from thereIJ"," she said. She said she would undertake door-to-door campaign in Mumbai north-west constituency.