Kamal Haasan announces alliance with MK Stalin's DMK, but there's a twist

Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam joins DMK-led alliance, pledges full support for Lok Sabha campaign

Published on: Mar 9, 2024, 14:15:26 IST

By HT News Desk

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Kamal Haasan on Saturday announced that his party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) will ally with MK Stalin-led Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and extend full support for the Lok Sabha elections.

DMK allots one seat to Kamal Hassan's MNM for Rajya Sabha polls in Tamil Nadu. (PTI)

“Joined the DMK-led alliance for the sake of the country, not with any consideration for the post,” MNM founder Kamal Haasan said in Chennai. The DMK has allotted one seat to MNM for the 2025 Rajya Sabha elections.

The agreement was finalised at the DMK headquarters, Anna Arivalayam, with Haasan and DMK chief minister M.K. Stalin.

ALSO READ- MK Stalin's minister accepts 'small mistake' called out by PM Narendra Modi

Haasan's MNM to support alliance in Lok Sabha polls

MNM pledged "full support" to the alliance and will actively contribute to campaign efforts in the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and the solitary Puducherry segment, as per the agreement between the two leaders.

ALSO READ- DMK and Cong trying to divide country: PM in TN

Haasan gave hints long back

Kamal Haasan had defended Udhayanidhi Stalin over the 'Sanatana Dharma' controversy, saying" a young child (Udhayanidhi) was being targeted just because he spoke about Sanatana".

Haasan was seen accompanying Congress MP Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Tamil Nadu in December 2022. Despite facing losses in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and the 2021 Assembly polls, the MNM extended support to the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance candidate in the Erode by-polls. The actor-politician had founded MNM in 2018.

ALSO READ- BJP slams DMK MP A Raja for ‘India not a nation’ remarks

As the Lok Sabha elections draw near, the DMK and its ruling ally, the Congress, are likely to finalise their seat-sharing deal by Sunday, as per DMK sources, reported PTI.

Negotiations on the seat agreement are currently underway and are expected to conclude over the weekend.

What happened in the 2019 general elections?

In the 2019 general elections, both parties agreed on seat-sharing, resulting in a sweeping victory by securing 38 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats, with the Congress winning 8 out of the 9 contested.

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HT News Desk
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