Her timing was politically perfect - on her father, Pramod Mahajan's first birth anniversary, October 30, she announced her decision to join the Bharatiya Janata Party as a primary member. Her political initiation overshadowed the screening of the cinematic tribute, Prerna, that her brother, Rahul, had arranged in memory of his father.

The fresh BJP party member denies that there is any rivalry between the two siblings. "I don't think my announcement came as a surprise to anyone," she says. "If my father was still alive, I would have joined the party at some time or the other. I spent a lot of time with him and interacted with many leaders and party workers. I have my own connectivity, my own base."

She regrets that Rahul and she are being pitted against each other with questions about who is the true Mahajan political heir. "We are both his children… Such an issue is irrelevant. As far as Rahul is concerned, he has been working on social causes for a while now. He will continue with that. Our genes have given us the capacity to do good work on practical development issues. I thought I could contribute my bit through politics. I do have the skills to become a politician. And, plus the party was pestering me to join." Ah.

Mention Rahul and it is impossible to ignore the recent disturbing news reports about trouble in his newly-minted married life. When I gently ask Poonam about her reaction to the fresh crisis in her brother's life, she replies, "I really do not want to comment on these recent allegations."

The rather reserved girl has seen and survived it all - the tension-filled moments when she, along with close family members, had to rush her father, Pramod Mahajan (then the BJP general secretary), to the hospital soon after he was shot by his brother, Pravin, early one morning in April. A few weeks later, antagonistic attention befell Rahul, giving an unconnected twist to the Mahajan melodrama. The scion of the family was charge sheeted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, soon after he was hospitalised, following a late-night incident at his father's New Delhi residence…. Once again, Poonam had no choice but to step out from the fringes into the limelight - just as she had done earlier to take care of the many well-wishers who thronged to the hospital in Mumbai…. Both the cases are still sub judice.

Poonam seems to take to public appearances with ease. Interestingly, as one of her close friends revealed, in Delhi, when Rahul was released, it was his younger sister who orchestrated the press conference and also addressed the gathering. Her speech moved the former Prime Minister to call her. "Atalji said that he had tears in his eyes after I spoke...I was touched when he called," she states.

As a kid she had remained on the periphery of her father's life, not realising exactly what he did to earn a living. "Dad did not go to a regular office…. When he won the elections to the Lok Sabha, my mother called me and gave me a box of pedhas. She asked me to distribute them to all my friends in the building and tell them that he had become a Member of Parliament. The words were difficult and new to me and I learnt them by heart before trooping off."

Soon Poonam realised that her father - a former teacher - was not the regular kind of neta. "He was more of an intellectual leader and had a different fan following. He had his own dreams for our country, he wanted India to be powerful, he looked forward to the rupee having the same kind of purchasing power that the dollar has…. He dreamt big even though we lived in simple homes. We were initially a joint family, sharing a two-bedroom house in Guru Ashish, in Chembur, a suburb of Mumbai. 'Baba' shouldered the burden of the entire family since his father had died when he was young. The house was small, but the happiness was greater. My father would often feed me from his own thali and often take me out for ice cream at night."

Outsider still to the world of netagiri, Poonam's dreams took flight literally - after her twelfth standard at Poddar College, she took to flying and got a commercial pilot's license - even doing a stint in America to gain the requisite number of flying hours. Returning home, at 20 she was happy, "helping people, doing samajkaran (social service) not rajkaran (politics)." An early marriage to Anand Rao, a son born soon after and with her physical and emotional closeness to her parents - their homes were in the same neighbourhood - her domestic picture was complete and happy. Till the bullet shots changed it all.

"I cannot really come to terms with the fact that he is no longer here, that when my son, Aadya or I call out 'Baba', he will not reply from somewhere," she says softly. "I can sense his presence everywhere around me…. He would come to my house almost every day, sit in his favourite chair and talk to us. He was my friend, just as I was his in my growing up years…. When Aadya came along, the relationship changed and we became even closer."

Today, Poonam the no-nonsense, confident politico recognises the vital importance of having younger - more professional - talent serving the country. "I would like my actions to talk for me. I will not merely wave flags or indulge in posturing for issues. I would like to walk the talk and do good deeds - perhaps setting an example for my son, the way my dad did for me."

Though she is clear about her loyalty to the BJP, she is not averse to interacting with friends from other political parties on bigger issues that need to be tackled together. "I will not hesitate in approaching my friends in other parties if I feel that will help us get things done...."

Though involved in her new role as a political personage, she is not ignoring pressing personal matters that continue to take up her time. "I want justice to be done. There are too many loose ends to tie up. For you can say controversy and Mahajans go hand in hand!"