Mumbai North: Urmila Matondkar makes electoral debut against giant Gopal Shetty

With the Lok Sabha campaign gaining momentum in Mumbai, the Congress faces an uphill task of reviving itself in five constituencies in India's financial capital where it had drawn a blank in 2014.

What has made its job difficult is the BJP sealing a pre-poll alliance with the Shiv Sena despite the strained relations between the two saffron allies.

Of the six seats in Mumbai, the Congress is contesting five and its ally NCP is contesting one. From one of them - Mumbai North - the party has fielded actor Urmila Matondkar against sitting BJP MP Gopal Shetty. Shetty had defeated Congress's Sanjay Nirupam by a massive 4.46 lakh votes in 2014.

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In the past, the Congress had fielded Bollywood actor Govinda from Mumbai North, which he won. According to sources in the Congress, the party was looking for a known face to take on Shetty, perceived as being a strong candidate and the search ended with Urmila Matondkar.

Matondkar has launched an impressive campaign, reaching out to voters as well as party workers. She is also being seen as articulate.

The BJP, meanwhile, is highlighting her marriage with a Kashmiri businessman and is demanding to know her views on Article 370 and 35-A, two laws specific to the restive northern state.

BJP leader Ram Naik, currently the Governor of Uttar Pradesh, had represented the Mumbai North constituency between 1989 and 1999.

Naik's winning streak came to an end in 2004, when actor Govinda defeated him.

Govinda didn't fight the 2009 election, which was successfully contested by Nirupam.

Mumbai has six Lok Sabha seats and all of them will go to polls on April 29.