lok-sabha-elections

Updated: Mar 13, 2019 19:45 IST

Two months after she said she would not contest elections, former Congress MP from Mumbai North West seat Priya Dutt took a u-turn on Wednesday and said she will fight the Lok Sabah polls.

“I am in the race. I am fighting this election. I am fighting for the future of my children. It is a fight to save our democracy,” ANi quoted her as saying.

Priya Dutt, Congress on whether she will contest #LokSabhaElections2019 : I am in the race. I am fighting this election. I am fighting for the future of my children. It is a fight to save our democracy. #Mumbai pic.twitter.com/DlTuDRmwGd — ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2019

Mumbai will vote in the 4th phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 29.

The former Congress MP won the Mumbai North West seat in two elections after the death of her father, legendary actor and party leader Sunil Dutt. In the 2014 election, she lost to Poonam Mahajan of the BJP and the Congress had drawn a blank in Mumbai in 2014.

Also read: Priya Dutt, Milind Deora, Eknath Gaikwad, Sanjay Nirupam: Congress candidates from Mumbai?

In January, Dutt had written to Congress president Rahul Gandhi saying she wanted to opt out of the contest because as she wanted to devote time to her family. But Gandhi reportedly told Dutt that she must contest.

In a statement Priya Dutt had then also mentioned disagreements with party colleagues but insisted that her decision not to contest the elections was purely personal because she wanted to be her two sons agedn 11 and 13 years.