Actor Urmila Matondkar set to join Shiv Sena in presence of Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray

Matondkar had contested the Lok Sabha polls from Mumbai North constituency on a Congress ticket in 2019, but lost against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Gopal Shetty

After an abrupt end to her political journey started with the Congress, actor Urmila Matondkar, 46, is set to begin her second innings in politics with the Shiv Sena.

Urmila Matondkar (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

A senior party leader said that Matondkar will formally join the Sena this week in the presence of party chief and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and his son and minister Aaditya. The party, according to insiders, has already nominated Matondkar for one of the 12 governor-nominated seats in the state legislative Council.

Matondkar had contested the Lok Sabha polls from Mumbai North constituency on a Congress ticket in 2019, but lost against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Gopal Shetty. She later quit the party in September 2019, stating her efforts to work for the betterment of the party did not find support and also blamed petty in-house politics.

Matondkar will be an additional resource for the Sena to put out its messages on a national level. Party insiders said Matondkar is a well-known face nationally, has a good social connect within Maharashtra and will become an additional voice for the party on various issues.