Weeks before the national election, film star Urmila Matondkar joined the Congress today after a meeting with party chief Rahul Gandhi. The Congress made the announcement by tweeting a picture of the actor receiving a bouquet from Rahul Gandhi. Urmila Matondkar, 45, is expected to be a Congress candidate in Mumbai in the national election next month. The actor said for her, it was a step towards "active politics", given that she had been raised in a family that believed in social awareness and strong political ideals.