Urmila Matondkar joins Shiv Sena

A year after quitting Congress over alleged petty in-house politics, actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar makes a comeback in the politics by joining hands with Shiv Sena. The actress was formally inducted in the party, on December 1, in the presence of the party chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackery at his residence Matoshree, Mumbai. Welcoming her into the party, Thackeray’s wife Rashmi tied Shivbandhan (saffron thread) on Urmila’s wrist.

Later, Matondkar also paid respect to the Shiv Sena supremo Bal Saheb Thacekray in front his photo at the Thackeray residence.

अभिनेत्री @UrmilaMatondkar जी यांनी आज मातोश्री निवासस्थानी शिवसेना पक्षप्रमुख, मुख्यमंत्री उद्धव बाळासाहेब ठाकरे यांच्या उपस्थितीत आणि सौ. रश्मीताई ठाकरे यांच्या हस्ते शिवबंधन बांधून शिवसेनेत जाहीर प्रवेश केला. pic.twitter.com/lAv21HjbaH

— ShivSena - शिवसेना (@ShivSena) December 1, 2020

According to sources, senior party leaders have praised Matondkar's induction 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.

On November 30,  Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, also a senior party functionary, told reporters, “She is anyway a Shiv Sainik. She may join the Shiv Sena formally tomorrow. Our women leadership is getting stronger.”

Matondkar's name has been in the limelight for a while now. She was one of the 12 candidates that Shiv Sena had suggested for the Maharashtra Council elections. The list is presently pending with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Since then, the possibility of Urmila joining the Sena has been 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.