The grapevine has it that the actress-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar would join Shiv Sena on December 1, in the presence of party president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and State Minister Aaditya Thackeray.
Confirming the reports, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, also a senior party functionary, told reporters on November 30, “She is anyway a Shiv Sainik. She may join the Shiv Sena formally tomorrow. Our women leadership is getting stronger.”
Though, Matondkar hasn’t officially shared information about the development on any public forum. According to reports, after her induction in the Sena, Matondkar might address a press conference in Juhu at 4 pm on Tuesday, December 1, to make her stand clear.
According to sources, senior party leaders have praised Matondkar as an additional resource for the Sena to put out its messages on a national level. Party insiders said that Matondkar is a well-known face nationally, has a good social connect within Maharashtra and will become an additional voice for the party on issues.
Earlier, Matodkar’s name was in the limelight for being one of the 12 candidates to be suggested for the Maharashtra Council elections as the Shiv Sena’s candidate. The list is presently pending with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Since then, the possibility of her joining the Sena is being discussed.
In 2019, Matondkar contested the Lok Sabha elections from the North Mumbai constituency on a Congress ticket. Even though she lost the election to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Gopal Shetty, she was seen as an addition to the Mumbai Congress team. However, months after the elections, Matondkar quit the Congress citing petty in-house politics in the Mumbai Congress as the reason.
Also Read: Actor Urmila Matondkar to join Shiv Sena year after quitting Congress
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