Her wealth

The Economic Times reported that Mrs Sanyal is worth Rs27.93 crores, with deposits in banks, financial institutions and other financial products. The Sanyal couple owns jewellery worth over Rs12 lakhs and one flat each in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi collectively valued at Rs5.4 crores.

Her Facebook group

What the Indian PM said Independent candidates are 'spoilers' and they should not be encouraged, says India's prime minister Manmohan Singh. 'I would like to tell the people of Mumbai that there are a lot of independent candidates in this elections. These candidates are in the fray only to dent the votes that would be received by the Congress party,' he said.

Her reaction

'I am an independent candidate. There is no question of taking away votes of candidates from other parties. I am a proud Indian and as part of democracy, through peaceful means, we can bring about a change.'

What people say

Political commentator Vijay Naik, who is the editor of Sakal, a regional newspaper in Maharashtra, told tabla! that 'no one used to bother about independents 30 or 40 years ago. That's changing now'.

'Even though they still have a very slim chance of winning, they are very much part of our democratic system and they can contribute at the state and centre.'

South Mumbai voter's view

South Mumbai resident Aneesha Mistri quoted in The Week: 'She (Mrs Sanyal) would have had a higher chance of winning had she been with a party. The so-called upwardly mobile segment forms only a small part of the voting population.'

Former Congress MP's view

Mrs Sudha Joshi, a former Congress MP who lives in Mumbai, told tabla!: 'Milind Deora deserves to win. He is young, educated, sincere and transparent. Following the Mumbai attacks, he was everywhere, he walked the streets, helped victims, didn't engage in finger-pointing.

'The candidates running as independents are elitist folks. They are rich, moneyed individuals. They are welcome to jump in. But they don't have a chance. They can never be elected.'