Urmila Matondkar To Join Shiv Sena Tomorrow, Up For Fresh Inning In Politics A Year After Lok Sabha Defeat From Congress

After facing defeat from the Indian National Congress' ticket in Lok Sabha polls last year, she resigned from the party, citing petty internal politics.

Maharashtra Politics: Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar, who ruled the big screens in the 90s and early 2000s, is now set to join the ruling Shiv Sena party which is a part of the MVA government. Notably, the actress had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on a Congress ticket and quit the party later. Interestingly, Congress and Shiv Sena are allies in the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government. She is expected to hold a press conference in the evening at 4 pm regarding the same. Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said she may join Shiv Sena tomorrow. As per sources, Matondakar will be joining Uddhav Thackeray’s party tomorrow at 12:30 pm at Matoshree bungalow of the Maharahstra Chief Minister. Harshal Pradhan, a close aide of Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, on Sunday said that Matondkar will join the party in the CM's presence. He name has been forwarded to Governor B S Koshyari by the Shiv Sena for nomination to the Legislative Council from the governor's quota. The names of 11 others have also been forwarded by the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government for their nomination from the governor's quota. The governor is yet to approve the list of 12 names. Urmila lost 2019 Lok Sabha polls from Congress ticket Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections last year, Matondkar joined the Indian National Congress on 27 March 2019. She contested from Mumbai North constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha Election, but  had to face defeat. On 10 September 2019, she resigned from the party, citing petty internal politics. Before Urmila, Priyanka Chaturvedi, who was a national spokesperson of the INC also made a switch to Shiv Sena on 19 April 2019 over similar reasons.