Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, March 29
With no senior leader of the Congress or Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) willing to contest from the Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency, the Congress on Friday named actress-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar as its candidate.
Matondkar, who was formally inducted into the Congress on Thursday, will take on sitting BJP Member of Parliament Gopal Shetty.
The Congress zeroed in on Matondkar after former Mumbai regional Congress committee chief Sanjay Nirupam refused to contest from Mumbai North from where he lost to Shetty in 2014. Nirupam has been fielded from Mumbai North West. The Congress had also unsuccessfully tried to swap this seat with the NCP for some other seat.
Though Congress leaders admit that Matondkar faces a tough battle against Shetty, the party is using her to woo Marathi voters in Mumbai. As part of the Congress’ strategy, Matondkar is giving interviews to Marathi-language channels. Both Nirupam and Milind Deora, who took over as the Mumbai Congress chief earlier this week, extended their support to Urmila Matondkar.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2Oz6wwr
via Today’s News Headlines
No comments: