Urmila Matondkar joined the Congress after meeting with party chief Rahul Gandhi. (PTI)
Highlights
- Urmila Matondkar will face BJP's Gokulnath Shetty in Mumbai North seat
- Milind Deora had pushed for her nomination as candidate for Mumbai North
- She joined Congress saying she wanted to fight against "politics of hate"
Actor-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar will contest next month's national election as the Congress candidate from the Mumbai North constituency, the party announced on Friday.
Urmila Matondkar, 45, joined the Congress on Wednesday saying she was in it for long-term and wanted to fight against the politics of hate.
Milind Deora, who took charge as Mumbai Congress chief this week, pushed for her nomination as the party's candidate in Mumbai North, a constituency held by the BJP.
Urmila Matondkar will face BJP lawmaker Gopal Shetty.
"Sanjay Nirupam knew he was going to lose which is why he took off the garland of loss and put it on Urmila Matondkar's neck. She is also going to lose and then she won't even return," Mr Shetty told NDTV.
Another actor, Govinda (Ahuja), had earned the title of 'giant-killer' in 2004 when - in a major upset - he defeated former Petroleum Minister Ram Naik of the BJP.
Ram Naik was defeated again in 2009 by Congress's Sanjay Nirupam, who lost in 2014.
Urmila Matondkar joined the Congress after meeting with party chief Rahul Gandhi. The actor said for her, it was a step towards "active politics" after growing up as part of a family that believed in social awareness and strong political ideals.
"I'm here to stay," Urmila Matondkar had said after joining the Congress on Wednesday.
"I am taking my first step in active politics. I am from a family that has shaped my political views based on the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel. It is another matter that despite being from an academics-oriented family, I joined films. But I had social awareness right from childhood," said the actor.
Urmila Matondkar was catapulted to fame as a child star in the critically-acclaimed 1983 film "Masoom". Another iconic film that stayed in public memory was the 1995 blockbuster "Rangeela".
"I know when filmstars enter politics, they are expected to pull in voters because of their glamour. I would request you to keep such thoughts away when it comes to me," she said.
Mumbai's six Lok Sabha constituencies will vote on April 29 along with 17 others in Maharashtra in the fourth phase of polling for the national election from April 11 to May 19.