MH-SANJAY DUTT-POLITICS

Actor Sanjay Dutt set to join Rashtriya Samaj Paksha: Minister
    Mumbai, Aug 25 (PTI) Nearly ten years after his maiden
political venture as a Samajwadi Party candidate failed to
take off from Uttar Pradesh, Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt is
set to re-enter politics, according to a minister from
Maharashtra.
    Dutt, 60, is set to join the Rashtriya Samaj Paksh
(RSP) on September 25, party founder and Cabinet minister
Mahadev Jankar disclosed here on Sunday.
    The RSP is a junior ally of the ruling BJP in
Maharashtra.
    Jankar said the RSP was tapping the film industry to
expand his party which mainly represents 'Dhangar' or the
shepherd community.
    "...We have started working in the film sector as well
to expand our party. As part of which, actor Sanjay Dutt is
also joining the Rashtriya Samaj Paksh on September 25,"
Jankar, who holds Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development
portfolios, announced while addressing a party event.
    He also played a pre-recorded video of the actor in
which the latter has greeted the RSP and addressed Jankar as
his "brother".
    The RSP has been part of the BJP-led NDA since the
2014 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Out of the six
candidates, RSP candidate Rahul Kul had won from Daund seat.
    Jankar unsuccessfully contested against NCP chief
Sharad Pawar from Madha Lok Sabha constituency in 2009.
    Meanwhile, Jankar has demanded more seats compared to
2014 for his party to contest the upcoming assembly elections.
    Commenting on reservation for the Dhangar community,
Jankar said, "Of the total work (on reservation), 60 per cent
work has been done so far. The 'Dhangar' (shepherd) community
is getting many benefits compared to what it used to get
earlier".
    The Dhangar community has been demanding reservation
under the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. They are currently
classified under the VJNT (Vimukta Jati Nomadic Tribes)
grouping.
    Dutt was a Samajwadi Party (SP) candidate for the
Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency in 2009 but withdrew after the
court refused to suspend his conviction under the Arms Act.
    He was later appointed as the general secretary of the
SP but resigned and subsequently quit the party.
    Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, rumours were
doing rounds about Dutt might contest. He had then denied the
reports.
    Dutt's father late Sunil Dutt had represented Mumbai
North West constituency as a Congress leader for five terms.
He had also served as the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
in the UPA-I government during 2004-May 2005 before his death.
    Sanjay Dutt's sister Priya Dutt is a former MP of the
Congress from Mumbai. PTI ND NSK
NSK NSK

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from a PTI feed.)