?Left out? Govinda gets Pawar boost

Govinda got a shot in the arm when NCP leader Sharad Pawar campaigned for him in North Mumbai.

Actor Govinda, who is aspiring to be a giant killer by taking on BJP heavyweight Ram Naik, got a shot in the arm when NCP leader Sharad Pawar campaigned for him on Friday.

With barely 48 hours to go before campaigning closes, the Maratha stalwart addressed an election rally along with Virar ka Chhokra in suburban Borivili. The area has a sizeable Gujarati population and has been known to be Naik's vote-bank for the last two decades.

The NCP leader's decision to help him came as a pleasant surprise to Govinda, who had been sulking of late.

The Bollywood actor was miffed at the manner in which local Congress workers had half-heartedly arranged his campaign in rural areas. Friday's rally is seen as a big boost to Govinda's ill-managed campaign.

With the arrival of Congress president Sonia Gandhi at Palghar a few days ago, and now Pawar, the contest in North Mumbai is seems headed towards an exciting finish.

Pawar, who recently underwent a surgery, went hammer and tongs at the NDA government's "wrong" foreign and domestic policies.

He said basic issues like farmers' suicides, closing down of industries and rising unemployment were non-issues for the NDA.

Govinda, who profusely thanked Pawar, said though Naik always stood by his people in times of crisis, he did little to mitigate their suffering.