Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan’s decision to opt out of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, and instead campaign for the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu, has caused disappointment among his party cadre and attracted taunts from the BJP State unit.
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The DMK, as part of its deal, has assured the actor’s party a Rajya Sabha berth in 2025. Mr. Haasan’s unexpected call not to contest the election despite securing 2.62% of the votes in 2021 State Assembly election has triggered questions about his party’s future.
Nation’s welfare
On Sunday, the MNM released a video featuring Mr. Haasan’s speeches about how the present situation was akin to the Emergency, and the need to join hands with the Opposition and not allow divisive forces to take advantage.
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The video ends with him stating that he was willing to sacrifice his “little differences”, and that his politics was about sitting in the same stage (in Opposition) for the sake of the “nation’s welfare”.
Having lost the Coimbatore South seat by a slender margin in 2021 to BJP’s Vanathi Srinivasan, Mr. Haasan was keen on being an INDIA bloc candidate for the Coimbatore or South Chennai Lok Sabha seat, according to sources in the DMK, the Congress and the MNM.
Accommodating MNM
It is learnt that the DMK had urged the Congress to accommodate Mr. Haasan within their quota of seats. However, sources in the MNM said that Mr. Haasan wasn’t keen on contesting on the Congress’ ‘Hand’ symbol, and wanted to contest only on his party’s symbol. The situation, therefore, became complicated.
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As a fierce three-cornered fight is expected to unfold in Coimbatore parliamentary constituency between the DMK, the AIADMK and the BJP alliances, and with the NTK too in the fray, it is believed that Mr. Haasan did not want to confine himself to the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency.
Nevertheless, Mr. Haasan’s decision not to contest this poll attracted criticism and trolling alike, with many on social media creating and sharing memes recalling his speeches in the last seven years wherein he claimed to stand for ‘alternative politics’ in Tamil Nadu and promised that he would never ally with the current “corrupt” political establishments.
Meanwhile, sources in the VCK said that the DMK impressed upon its leader Thol. Thirumavalavan, who initially pitched for three constituencies, to settle for two seats after the Dravidian party argued that it was losing at least two M.P.s (who contested in the DMK’s symbol in 2019) from their tally as the MDMK and the VCK would now be contesting on their own symbol.