An activist, dancer, an MBA and now - an independent politician - Mallika Sarabhai has taken the plunge into the rough and tumble of politics.

Contesting from Gandhinagar, she will now take on L K Advani, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate. And she sees it as a battle of an outsider versus an insider.

A vocal critic of Chief minister Narendra Modi specially over the Gujarat riots, the eminent dancer had a showdown with the BJP government.

In 2003, the police accused her in an alleged human trafficking case. However, it had to backtrack later.

"Some of us have to step in because of the criminalisation and bazaar of politics have sunk to such a deplorable lows," said Mallika Sarabhai.

But a few others have something else to say.

For instance, BJP Spokesperson Yamal Vyas says, "many eminent people contest against Advani - but nobody can defeat him."

However, Sarabhai is undaunted. The dancer says that she is unfazed by the presence of political heavyweights and will raise money from ordinary people.