New Delhi: Bollywood actor Urmila Matondkar has joined the Congress and is likely to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai.
On Wednesday, Matondkar met party president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi and called him an “ideal leader” who believes in “taking everyone along”.
“He believes in giving justice to everyone. He believes equally in men and women. He doesn’t question your nationalism but believes in everyone,” Matondkar said at the press meet at Congress headquarters.
Matondkar said she believes in the ideology and philosophy of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi.
“One of the criticisms that Bollywood faces is that stars are only visible during elections. But I am not here only for the election. I am here to stay. I am here because I believe in Congress’ ideology,” said Matondkar.
She was accompanied by Milind Deora, who was recently made the party’s Maharashtra unit chief, and senior leader Sanjay Nirupam.
Matondkar is likely to be fielded from the Mumbai North constituency.
“She is likely to be fielded from this seat but a final decision will be taken by the senior leadership,” said a senior Congress leader who didn’t wish to be named.
The 45-year-old ‘Masoom‘ star began her Bollywood career as a child artist at the age of seven with the Shashi Kapoor-Rekha starrer Kalyug in 1981. She launched her full-time acting career with 1991’s Narsimha. Over the last two decades, she has gained popularity for her movies like Rangeela (1995), Satya (1998), and Pinjar (2003), among others.
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Star struggle
The Congress has been trying to rope in celebrities for the Lok Sabha elections to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s might.
Recently, YouTube sensation and Haryana dancer Sapna Chaudhary was said to be joining the party, though the move didn’t materialise.
On Tuesday, former Samajwadi Party leader Jaya Prada joined the BJP and has been fielded from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh.
Mumbai’s six Lok Sabha constituencies will vote on 29 April.
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I was enchanted by Urmila Matondkar in Rangeela. Those days Madhuri Dixit was the establishment figure, else she deserved the Filmfare award. Pity I cannot vote for her, for the constituencies don’t match.