MNM not to contest; Kamal Haasan to campaign for DMK front

CHENNAI: Actor Kamal Haasan announced on Tuesday that his party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), will stay away from a direct contest in the upcoming assembly election but will extend support to the DMK alliance and campaign for its candidates.

“This is not sacrifice, but duty,’’ Kamal said on his decision to campaign for the DMK front, though MNM was not contesting the election.

He called on chief minister M K Stalin at the DMK headquarters in Chennai and informed about the decision. Minutes before arriving at the DMK headquarters, he issued a statement saying that neither the number of seats offered nor DMK’s request to contest in ‘rising sun’ symbol was acceptable to MNM.

“We have been associated with the ‘torch light’ symbol for nine years. It is not just a symbol but our identity. I cannot and will not ignore the sentiments of my party cadres who have been associated with me for nine years,” Kamal said.

While justifying his decision, Kamal said he understood DMK’s position too. “When the rights of our states are taken away and the welfare of the state is hit, it is not fair to fight for our share of seats,’’ he said.

Responding to Kamal, Stalin said Kamal’s decision was indeed a sacrifice. “History will applaud his magnani-mous decision to set aside self-interest with dignity and prioritise the welfare of Tamil Nadu,” Stalin said.

MNM contested in 140 seats in the 2021 election as part of a separate alliance and lost all the seats. They en-tered the DMK alliance ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and in 2025 DMK gave Kamal a Rajya Sabha seat.

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