Actor Urmila Matondkar on Tuesday joined Shiv Sena in presence of party president and Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Shiv Sena President and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray accorded Matondkar a warm welcome to the party fold while his wife Rashmi Uddhav Thackeray tied her a thread, 'Shiv Bandhan' symbolizing her ties with the new party.
Soon after that, she bowed with folded hands and paid her respects before a wall-portrait of the founder-patriarch of Shiv Sena, the late Balasaheb Thackeray and his wife Meenatai Thackeray, at the Thackeray residence, 'Matoshri' in Bandra east.
Matondkar had unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Mumbai North constituency as a Congress candidate. However, she had later quit the party over the functioning of the Mumbai unit of the Congress.
Shiv Sena MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Monday had said that Matondkar may join the ranks of the Shiv Sena on December 1. "She (Urmila Matondkar) may join Shiv Sena tomorrow (December 1). She is a Shivsainik. We are happy that she is joining the Shiv Sena. This will strengthen the party's 'mahila aghadi'," Raut told reporters.
Matondkar's 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.
(Inputs from PTI and ANI)
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