Committed to the task at hand -- she was determined to win the Lok Sabha seat and forward her father's legacy -- she conferred with her seasoned legislators and party workers, but took her own decisions. As Priya smiled her way through the campaign and sloganeering that is so much a part of our election process, what she hid was the physical discomfort caused by the C-section operation, and how much she was missing her newborn child.

"When the voters know I have made so many sacrifices to come to them, they may feel that getting out of their homes to vote is not such a big sacrifice after all," she said.

The voters responded, though analysts are still arguing whether the response was to her or a sympathy wave triggered by the death of her hugely popular father.

The result was that Sunil Dutt's youngest child romped home with 3,43,933 votes as against the 1,71,840 votes garnered by her veteran Shiv Sena rival, the veteran Madhukar Sarpotkar.

Until she decided to contest the election, Dutt had kept herself away from the limelight that focused so sharply on her famous father, and even more famous brother -- actor Sanjay Dutt.

Now, she embraces it as one of the hazards of her decision to follow in her father's path.

She is, however, very clear she can never walk in her father's shoes. "I can walk by his side," she says simply, "but I can never be Sunil Dutt because I have my own individuality."

Priya Dutt took her oath as MP on November 24. What she does in her tenure as lawmaker will define if she is a worthy successor or merely another wannabe in the increasingly dynastic trend in Indian politics. Before the election, we spoke to Priya at length -- on her being wet behind the ears in the game of politics, on her father's legacy, on her as a person, and on her agenda as an MP. Excerpts:

Also see: Priya Dutt wins Mumbai north-west by-poll

Text: Savera R Someshwar. Photographs: Jewella C Miranda