Election time was no elation time for Roja. The enduring glamour girl of Telugu and Tamil cinema lost as a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidate in the Nagari constituency of Andhra Pradesh to Congress nominee Chenga Reddy in the assembly election.

And she is disconsolate. Roja, who was leading in the early rounds of counting but was overtaken by her opponent later, says: "I never even thought that I might lose."

"Leave me aside. How hard N. Chandrababu Naidu worked for the people of the state. I cannot digest his defeat."

She added: "I won't be paralysed by defeat. I will continue to fight for the people of Nagari. I will be active in politics."