Jubilee Post News & Views
Jubilee News Desk
Veteran Tamil movie actor who has fan-following in Bollywood too, Kamal Haasan will contest upcoming Tamil Nadu state Assembly polls.
Hasan who founded the political party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) in 2018, will be a candidate from the Coimbatore South constituency, the seat that was won by the ruling AIADMK, in the past two Assembly polls, with the Amman K Arjunan being the current incumbent.
The thespian made and announcement while releasing his party’s second list of candidates. Grapevine had it earlier that he may choose to fight from Alandur in Chennai, a seat that former Chief Minister MG Ramachandran held for nine years.
Under a new seat-sharing deal, however, the ruling party passed the seat to its ally, the BJP, giving much heartburn to AIADMK cadres. In the 2019 general election, MNM gathered 11% votes in the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency.
Remembering his late father, Haasan expressed confidence that the people of the constituency would enable him to voice his views in the assembly. “My father’s dream was I should become an IAS officer and then enter politics. Though I could not realise his dream, my party comprises many (former) IAS officers. That is a proud moment for us,” he said.
Among other names declared in MNM’s second list are Dr Subha Charles from Kanniyakumari, Dr R Mahendran (Singanallur), Dr Santosh Babu (Velacherry), and Pazha Karupiah (T Nagar). Alandur has been allotted to Sharad Babu.
MNM has struck an alliance with actor Sarathkumar’s All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi and Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi. Both allies will contest in 40 seats each, while it looks out in 154 seats. The party has adopted a unique online ticket distribution system for people to apply as candidates, followed by interviews of the shortlisted ones to be finally fielded in the election.
MNM is raising corruption, jobs, developing villages, and e-governance as key planks. The party has promised salaries to homemakers and free computers with internet to all homes.
