Loksabha Poll 2019: Urmila Matondkar joins Congress; likely to contest from Mumbai North seat

By FnF Correspondent | PUBLISHED: 27, Mar 2019, 15:26 pm IST | UPDATED: 27, Mar 2019, 15:26 pm IST

Delhi: Bollywood actor Urmila Matondkar on Wednesday joined the Congress party ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha elections. Her formal induction in Congress was announced by party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala in the presence senior Maharashtra Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam.

The actor-turned-politician met with party President Rahul Gandhi before the press conference, held to announce her formal induction into the party.

As per sources, she will contest from Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat. No Congress leader was willing to contest from this seat.

If nominated, Matondkar’s formidable rival would be BJP incumbent MP Gopal Shetty in the constituency that was once regarded a BJP bastion.

The name of Matondkar, 45, had been doing rounds since the past few days as the Congress grappled for an effective counter to the BJP, IANS reported.

Meanwhile, actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha, who has been associated with BJP for about three decades, is also set to join the grand old party on Wednesday.

"Shatrughan Sinha will join Congress in New Delhi on March 28 at 11.30 am ... He will be our candidate from Patna Sahib", PTI quoted chairman for the state Congress election campaign committee Akhilesh Prasad as saying.

Asked whether Sinha would be induced in the party in the presence of AICC president Rahul Gandhi, as was being speculated in the media, Singh said Top leaders will be present on the occasion".

Sources in the 'Mahagathbandhan' had recently claimed that there was a tug of war between the Congress and RJD over Sinhas candidature as Lalu Prasad's party, with which the 'Bihari Babu' shares cordial relations, was said to be keen on fielding him on its own symbol.

Congress has been contesting from Patna Sahib whenever it has fought the Lok Sabha polls in alliance with the RJD and Singhs statement indicate that decks have been cleared for Sinhas candidature by the Congress leadership.