Keypoints:
- Matondkar had last year resigned from the Congress party, a key ally of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra.
- Matondkar had unsuccessfully contested last year’s Lok Sabha polls on Congress ticket from Mumbai North constituency.
Lasts year, Urmila Matondkar had resigned from the Congress party a key ally of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra. She had cited inaction on the part of key functionaries of Mumbai Congress as the reason of her resignation.
On Tuesday, actor Urmila Matondkar joined Shiv Sena in presence of party president and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
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
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.
Matondkar had unsuccessfully contested last year’s Lok Sabha polls on Congress ticket from Mumbai North constituency.
On Monday, Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha Member Sanjay Raut said that “She (Urmila Matondkar) may join Shiv Sena tomorrow. She is a Shivsainik. We are happy that she is joining the Shiv Sena. This will strengthen the party’s ‘mahila aghadi’.”
Matondkar had last year resigned from the Congress party, a key ally of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra. She had cited inaction on the part of key functionaries of Mumbai Congress as the reason of her resignation.
Senior Shiv Sena leaders said that the leadership was impressed with the manner in which Matondkar took on actor Kangana Ranaut when the latter and the party were locked in a war of words after Ranaut equated Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Matondkar will be 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.
Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government recently recommended Urmila’s name for nomination to the state legislative council from the governor’s quota along with other 11 members. The governor is yet to approve the list of 12 names.
