Following father's footsteps? Riteish Deshmukh might contest elections on Congress-ticket
Following his father Vilasrao Deshmukh's footsteps, actor Riteish Deshmukh will contest elections from his hometown Latur, Maharashtra, in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections of 2019, multiple reports suggested. The actor will contest elections on an Indian National Congress ticket. However, the news has not been confirmed by the actor himself. Nevertheless, if he does contest elections it will be a huge leap for Deshmukh.
Riteish Deshmukh has strong political connections
As it turns out, Riteish Deshmukh is the only one among his brothers who hasn't joined politics. His brothers Amit and Dheeraj, both are politicians. Vilasrao Deshmukh, Riteish's father, was an eminent Congress leader who served as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, twice.
Deshmukh's Latur connection: What he has done for the area
Two years ago, Riteish Deshmukh donated Rs. 25 lakh for drought-ridden Latur. He gave the money to 'Jalyukta Latur', an initiative started by peoples' participation to make a change in the affected area. Notably, Deshmukh also requests everyone to remain mindful of the environment. Last year, he made an eco-friendly Ganesha, to tell people how immersion of idols polluted rivers.
Earlier, the idea of joining politics didn't appeal him much
Notably, in 2016, in an interview, Riteish was asked about joining politics, and he had said he didn't have any plans as such. "I know what it is like to fight an election and run a campaign. I have seen it all my life. But, will I stand in an election? No," he had said. The actor asserted he wanted to concentrate on movies.
