The Congress party pulled a surprise last week when it inducted Hindi film actor Urmila Matondkar. Days later, the party announced her as its candidate from the Mumbai North constituency for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The 45-year-old actor, known best for her critically and commercially acclaimed roles in films like 'Rangeela', 'Satya' and 'Kaun' has hit the ground running. With BJP heavyweight Gopal Shetty, the sitting MP from Mumbai North, as her rival, many believe Matondkar has been fielded from the constituency because the Congress-NCP alliance had no winning candidate to offer and she is an easy scapegoat. Matondkar, of course, thinks differently. She spoke to Outlook's Puneet Nicholas Yadav on her political debut, the challenges ahead and why she believes the BJP must be voted out. Excerpts: