Cong picks Dutt daughter for his seat

On Friday, Priya Dutt was nominated the Congress candidate for the Mumbai North-West Lok Sabha by-election necessitated by the May 25 death of her father, Sports Minister Sunil Dutt.

‘‘Priya Dutt will be the Congress candidate from Mumbai Noth-West constituency as and when a by-election is notified by the Election Commission,’’ Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said here today.

The decision was announced after Priya and her actor-brother Sanjay—whom some regarded as a contender for the ticket—met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi.

‘‘A very big responsibility,’’ is how Priya reacted to the nomination, adding that she’ll require actor brother Sanjay’s help to shoulder it. ‘‘After my father, it is Sanjay,’’ she said in New Delhi.

Vile Parle MLA Ashok Jadhav said she’d been a near shadow to Dutt while he was alive. ‘‘She learnt from him,’’ he said. ‘‘Social work and politics were both definite priorities.’’

While other parties are yet to name their candidates, observers have it that if the political debutante wins she’ll owe it to the goodwill the Dutt family has earned.

In New Delhi, Sonia apparently did not even consider the candidature of Sanjay Nirupam, who recently joined the Congress after contesting the last election against Dutt as a Shiv Sena candidate.

Nirupam, however, appeared to harbour no ill will, saying that the logic for common Congresswallahs is simple. ‘‘If the high command has made a decision,’’ he said, ‘‘we will accept it and follow it.’’