Mumbai: Abhijeet Sawant, the winner of the first edition of the TV show "Indian Idol", joined Shiv Sena Saturday with a mandate to attract the youth to the party fold."I am a born Maharashtrian so it is natural that I join the Shiv Sena," he said at a special function in Sena Bhavan where he officially became a Shiv Sainik Saturday evening in the presence of party executive president Uddhav Thackeray.
Welcoming him to the party, Thackeray said that "Sawant is a well-known youth icon and the party would utilise his talents well".
Thackeray hoped that Sawant would help fulfil the aspirations of the youth, but did not indicate whether he would be given any role in electoral politics.
On his part Sawant said that he had been working among the younger generation since the past four years very closely.
"I can relate to them very comfortably and the Shiv Sena offers me the right platform to do something for the youth," he said.
To a query by mediapersons, he denied that he had sought any electoral role, particularly in view of the forthcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, or that he would use his party credentials to further his professional career.
Sawant, born in a Dalit family of Mumbai, shot to national fame after he won the hotly contested "Indian Idol" show in 2005.
An established playback singer, Sawant married Shilpa, his childhood sweetheart and neighbour, in 2007.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.