From PM to Gawli, everyone knows me: Meera Sanyal

Curious onlookers and prospective voters greeted Meera Sanyal during her dawn call at Parel Tuesday morning as residents in bath towels holding toothbrushes greeted the sober independent candidate from Mumbai south. Meera's padyatra kicked off an hour behind the schedule time of 7 am.









Sanyal (47), the ABN Amro country head, running the election against sitting Congress MP Milind Deora, Bala Nangoankar (MNS) and Mohan Rawale (Shiv Sena).

As she stepped out of her car wearing a crisp blue salwar kurta near Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, she got busy giving interviews to the waiting foreign media. Once she was done she gave a small briefing to her supporters. "When you ask people to vote for me, it should be dil se. Then only people will feel like voting for me. Tell people that they must step out to vote for sure", she said to her supporters.

The padyatra starts at 8.45 am with supporters encouraging her for a win and a batsman as her mascot (batsman is her symbol).Her supporters catch hold of the people in the crowd and read the out her manifesto and why they should vote her.

As she walked into housing societies and chawls in Parel, she greeted people with folded hands. She waved and spoke to people peeping out of their windows and galleries.

In her padyatra she interacted with a kid from a chawl behind Gandhi hospital. She asked him have you seen Mumbai Indians match against Kolkata Knight Riders? Do you like cricket? Do you know that the cricketers are selected on the basis of their capabilities not on the basis of their caste, religion and family they belong too? You should also vote for individuals on the basis of their capabilities", she said while placing the cap on his head.

Meeraspeak: Everyone from Arun Gawli to the PM has taken note of my candidature. It speaks for itself - that I am a serious contender. The fight is between me and Shiv Sena. I am real person, not propped up by somebody.