Top contests of 2014: Mahesh Manjrekar v Mayank Gandhi v Rakhi Sawant

, March 15: Actor-turned politician Rakhi Sawant will take on Bollywood film personality Mahesh Manjrekar and Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP)

from Mumbai North West constituency in the upcoming Lok Sabha

. While Majrekar is contesting on a ticket of the

Navnirman Sena (MNS), Khan has got the ticket of the Samajwadi Party (SP). Congress's Gurudas Kamat is the sitting MP from this constituency. The Samajwadi Party had fielded controversial actor Kamal Rashid Khan from this constituency but his candidature was scrapped later after he allegedly made some anti-women comments on Twitter.

Mumbai North-West constituency will go to poll on April 24.

[Read: Top contests of 2014 LS poll]

About Mahesh Manjrekar (MNS)

The director of films like Astitva and Vaastav is set to make his debut in politics by contesting the Lok Sabha election this year. He said he was called up by MNS chief Raj Thackeray a few days ago for the offer to contest the polls and he accepted it for he thinks common people should also enter politics to bring a change. The 55-year-old film artist-turned-politician, however, said that he would retire at 60 to make way for youngsters to enter politics. He recently found himself in trouble over his alleged conversation with Chhota Shakeel, an associate of Dawood Ibrahim, in 2000.

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About Mayank Gandhi (AAP)

A social activist and national executive member of the AAP, Gandhi is his party's face in Maharashtra. He was recently in news for supporting a professor of University of Mumbai who was suspended by the authorities and also getting detained after protesting against alleged vandalism by Nationalist Congress Party at an AAP office in Mumbai.

[Read: Mayank Gandhi's exclusive interview to OneIndia]

About Gajanan Kirtikar (Shiv Sena)

The Shiv Sena has fielded Gajanan Kirtikar from this seat. Kirtikar is four-time member of the Maharashtra legislative assembly from Malad Constituency. He was state minister for home in Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party government in the mid-1990s.

About Rakhi Sawant (Rashtriya Aam Party)

Rakhi, a personality known for her dramatic gestures, floated her own Rashtriya Aam Party after failing to get a BJP ticket. She said the BJP had offered her a ticket to contest from West Bengal but she declined owing to language problem.

Analysis: Will be an interesting fight. Last time, Gurudas Kamat defeated Kirtikar by over 38,000 votes in this seat which has traditionally seen a Congress versus Shiv Sena fight. It has been a stronghold of the Dutts (late Sunil Dutt and later his daughter Priya Dutt) over the years. This time with the MNS entering the fray like in 2009, it could again go the Congress's way. The presence of the likes of Rakhi Sawant will make it an entertaining affair no doubt even if they don't win.

OneIndia News