Sanjaydutt to Contest from Lucknow

The newest poster boy of politics and the latest star in Samajwadi Party's stable, Sanjay Dutt charmed Lucknow on Saturday.

The streets were so crowded with fans that it took Sanjay Dutt five hours to reach the party office. All along he said all the right things and people shouted lines from his films.

The small fact that Dutt cannot contest until the Supreme Court stays his conviction seemed to be mere trivia.

Across Lucknow, crowds surged to catch a glimpse of Sanjay Dutt. "I have come here to repay my father's debt," he said.

Samajwadi Party workers were beaming as Sanjay Dutt had kept his promise. He accepted Lucknow as his constituency despite opposition from his family that is rooted in the Congress. The party now has a crowd puller, who is making the opposition, even Mayawati, nervous.

"If the opposition abuses me, I will offer them flowers," said Sanjay.

But Lucknow's electoral tryst with Munna bhai depends on what the Supreme Court does with his conviction under Arms Act for possessing an AK-47 by a TADA court in Mumbai. For this scenario, the SP already has a Plan-B. His wife Manyata might replace him.

For a first timer in politics, Sanjay's caution was obvious. He said there will never be discord in the Dutt family. But his appeal to the Congress made it clear that his moving over to the SP camp was a difficult choice. He called Atal Bihari Vajpayee a father-like figure.

"The Congress is allying with the SP, so what is the difference if I am fighting on a SP ticket," Sanjay said.

A new star has risen on UP's political landscape. Sanjay is popular and he promises jadu ki jhappis, and gandhigiri. But to retain ground in UP's political cauldron, the SP will need a constellation of stars and castes. But right now, the euphoric party is saying Lage Raho Munna Bhai
(Source NDTV)