Urmila Matondkar Trailing In Mumbai North Seat In Maiden Election Contest

Congress' Mumbai North Lok Sabha candidate Urmila Matondkar has lost her maiden election against BJP veteran Gopal Shetty. As per the latest trends available, Mr Shetty has taken a decisive lead of more than four lakh votes over Ms Matondkar in Maharashtra's North Mumbai seat.

The star of hits like Rangeela (1995), Judaai (1997) and Mast (1999), Ms Matondkar had joined a long list of actors-turned-politicians in March.

Ms Matondkar's move from cinema to politics may have been unexpected to many but she appears to have brought to politics the same spirit and drive she did in cinema.

A popular box office draw in her prime, she was welcomed to the Congress by its president Rahul Gandhi and senior leader Randeep Surjewala and was immediately named a candidate from the Mumbai North constituency.

She has taken to the fiery rhetoric of Indian politics with gusto, quickly targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his "56-inch chest" and the controversial biopic on the prime minister's life.

She has also acknowledged that having been an actor means she carries expectations of a certain kind into the political ring, but she urges everyone to judge her on current results rather than box office scores.

Ms Matondkar says politics was not a far stretch for her; she grew up in a politically aware household. She counts Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel among the figures who have shaped her political views. Those views were also influenced by her father, Shrikant Matondkar, and his work with Mumbai's trade unions.

The Trade Union Joint Action Committee (Maharashtra) supported her campaign because they valued the "socialist ideology" of her father and believed she (and the Congress-NCP alliance) offer the best alternative to "the anti-worker policies of this government".

The 45-year-old actress insists she will not fade away but will keep fighting for the social, economic and democratic rights of the people in her constituency.

Ms Matondkar has already been introduced to the invasive nature of political debate in the country and has been forced to field questions about her religion.

She is married to Muslim businessman Mohsin Akhtar Mir. When her candidature was confirmed in March, her Wikipedia page was targeted and details were edited to suggest she had converted to Islam.

The changes were soon scrubbed and an upset father criticized "anti-social elements" while stressing on his daughter's right to privacy and her "democratic ideals and strong convictions".