Mumbai: It could be a difficult choice for the predominantly middle-class North Mumbai constituency to choose between a hard-boiled politician, a Union Minister and a debutant Bollywood actor in a high-profile battle that has generated nation-wide interest.

Veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ram Naik, who is seeking to ride the success of being the longest serving Petroleum Minister in the country to score a double hat-trick, is facing stiff challenge from cine star Govinda who has turned issues like the water problem to challenge the otherwise enviable track record of the five-time MP.

Elections 2004-The Drama unfolds...
Political Parties in India

Of the 23 lakh electorate of North Mumbai, about 20 per cent is North Indian, the section Congress candidate Govinda is trying to swing in his favour. Besides, the presence of socialist Vidya Chavan could split the sizeable tribal votes.

Naik, who hasn't lost an election in over 25 years, is unfazed by the good turnouts at the road shows of Govinda. "People have seen what I have done for them during my five terms as MP and three terms as MLA. My work will sail me through," he says.

But his senior aides, who are confident of his victory, expresses concern that margin of victory which has been increasing since 1989, may not be 1.5 lakhs as was in 1999 with Govinda giving a tough fight.

"Earlier Congress did not have a candidate but in Govinda they have a popular figure," says a Naik aide.

Naik knows this and is not taking any chances. He has roped in top leaders of BJP and Shiv Sena including Uday Thackeray, Pramod Mahajan, Gopinath Munde and Uma Bharti to campaign for him in the last week to the April 26 polling.