Urmila Matondkar joins Shiv Sena

I am a people-made star and not a media-made star and very sure that they will make me a people-made leader, says Bollywood actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar hours after she joined Shiv Sena on Tuesday.

“I am a Hindu by ‘janma’ and ‘karma’,” the 46-year-old Urmila said, facing a volley of questions on a wide range of issues. “I have tremendous respect for late Balasaheb (Thackeray),” she added.

Urmila joined the saffron party in presence of Shiv Sena President and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. Uddhav’s wife Rashmi tied the customary saffron-color ‘Shiv-bandhan’ in presence of their son and state’s Protocol Minister Aaditya, Industries minister Subhash Desai, Rajya Sabha members Anil Desai and Priyanka Chaturvedi, Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar and Sri Siddhivinayak Temple Trust chairman Aadesh Bandekar.

After the induction at Matoshree at Bandra, the bungalow of the Thackerays, she addressed a news conference in Juhu, during which she admitted that her name has been recommended by the party for an MLC from Governor’s quota. She said that when she left Congress 14 months ago, she quit the party and not politics.

“I still have a deep respect for (Congress President) Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi…I have contested the elections from Mumbai North but I lost…I have specified the reasons in my letter,” she said.“Let me make it clear that I have never left politics…I am a Marathi and once I have taken a step, there is no going back,” she said.