Mumbai, March 19 (IANS) Marathi actor Amol Kolhe, who attained popularity for his portrayal of Chhatrapati Shivaji in a TV serial, Wednesday joined the Shiv Sena.
He joined the Shiv Sena in the presence of party chief Uddhav Thackeray.
Kolhe had earlier been in touch with Thackeray's bete-noire, his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray who leads the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). The Shiv Sena has been hit by several high-profile defections in recent weeks.
Kolhe, a doctor by profession, has acted in several TV serials like "Rajmata Jijau", "Olakh" and "Raja Shiv Chhatrapati".
Lashing out at the MNS and Raj Thackeray, he said: "I never approached anybody. They approached me. They even offered me a Lok Sabha nomination, but I had no faith in that party's leadership."
The MNS was planning to name Kolhe for the Shirur Lok Sabha seat, but at the last minute changed its plan and gave the ticket to Ashok Khandebarad.
"I feel happy supporting a party (Shiv Sena) which will show the way in Maharashtra instead of some other party (MNS) which is destroying it," Kolhe said.
The timing could not have been more appropriate as the Shiv Sena Wednesday celebrated the "Chhatrapati Shivaji Jayanti".
The party was founded by late Bal Thackeray based on the warrior king's ideals.
Asked about the recent defections, Uddhav Thackeray said these were too insignificant to matter for the party.
"But, what about the Nationalist Congress Party? Don't they have good candidates that they have to wait for outsiders to give Lok Sabha tickets," Uddhav said, ridiculing the NCP which has attracted several Shiv Sena defectors.
Krishna Idol stole: Lord Krishna's idol was stolen from Tamil Nadu and found in a museum in America
The dancing idol of Lord Krishna, stolen from a temple in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, has been found
New Delhi. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate even today
Launching of Realme X7 5G and X7 Pro 5G in India on February 4, will compete with Redmi Note 9T
The craze of 5G technology in India is growing very fast. All telecom companies are now working f
After Rajasthan, now Maharashtra has also started genome sequencing regarding the lumpy virus, bu
Rave party in Ghaziabad hotel busted, 72 arrested
Ghaziabad, Feb 12 (IANS) An illegally-run rave party in a posh hotel near the police lines here
Ghee can be easily found for drinking in rural areas of western Rajasthan, but it is difficult to
Canada plans to resettle 1.5 million migrants in the next three years. Canada's Minister of Overs
Road ahead not so easy for BJP, Modi: Mamata
Kolkata, March 18 (IANS) Dismissing ny possibility of the BJP coming to power and Narendra Mod
New Delhi: Shopping malls, religious places, hotels and restaurants have reopened in the country
Haryana Lockdown Extension: Lockdown extended till May 24 in Haryana, will increase more tightly
Haryana Lockdown Extension: The lockdown in Haryana since May 3 has been extended once again. The