Poll bid for Bollywood star Dutt

Bollywood bad boy

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, sentenced to jail for buying weapons from bombers who attacked Mumbai in 1993, may stand in India's election, due before May.

The actor, who is out on bail, has been offered a ticket by the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh to contest a seat in the lower house of parliament.

The Samajwadi Party is a key ally of the ruling Congress party.

Samajwadi said that Mr Dutt would compete for the seat of former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee, who is stepping down.

The party insists that Mr Dutt - one of Bollywood's most bankable stars - will only be allowed to stand if he is given "legal clearance" to do so following his conviction and jail sentence in 2007.

Charisma

Legal experts say that the chances of that happening are slim, because he is not allowed to contest parliamentary seats under the terms of his bail from prison.

The actor is currently appealing against his conviction after spending only about a month of his six-year sentence in jail.

Hundreds of people were killed in the blasts

The BBC's Ram Dutt Tripathi in the Uttar Pradesh (UP) state capital, Lucknow, says that Mr Dutt's charisma and good looks mean it is almost certain that he will win if he does stand.

Our correspondent says that is especially the case because Mr Vajpayee - a popular former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime minister - is stepping down from the seat.

The BJP used to be one of the most powerful parties in UP, but in recent years it has lost influence.

Criminal records

Mr Dutt, 49, was not available for comment, but an aide told the Reuters news agency that the actor was shooting a film in Kashmir and could make a statement next week.

"Sanjay Dutt has made a great contribution towards popularising Gandhi's philosophy among the new generation," Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh told reporters on Thursday.

Mr Singh said his party would approach the Supreme Court and the Election Commission as part of its bid to get permission for Mr Dutt to contest the polls.

Our correspondent says that all of the main parties in UP have been accused of nominating prospective parliamentary candidates suspected of having criminal records for the 80 lower house seats.

Mr Dutt is the most high-profile of 100 people convicted in connection with the blasts, which killed 257 people in Mumbai.

He found fame playing gangsters and anti-heroes.