Kamal Haasan’s party to contest from 154 Assembly segments

Chennai: Actor-politician Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam has finalized a seat-sharing pact with two of its allies for the April 6 Assembly polls and is set to contest from 154 segments out of the 234 constituencies. MNM inked an agreement with actor-politician Sarathkumar”s All India Samathuva Makhal Katchi and Indiya Jananayaka Katchi to jointly fight the polls. According to the understanding reached here late last night, AISMK and IJK would contest from 40 seats each. The primary goal was to contest polls in alliance with a “promise for change and emerge victorious to form the government,” the agreement said.

The parties have committed to the common goal of transforming Tamil Nadu by fulfilling the long pending aspirations of the people, the pact said. In 2018, actor Kamal Haasan launched Makkal Needhi Maiam, professing a ”Centrist” line His party garnered 3.77 percent votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and got 15,75,640 valid votes out of 4,18,25,669, the total valid votes polled in Tamil Nadu.

The IJK was founded by T R Paarivendhar (Pachamuthu), who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Perambalur in Tamil Nadu in 2019 on DMK”s ”Rising Sun” symbol. The 79-year old education baron is the founder of the SRM group of institutions. The IJK was part of the BJP alliance during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Sarathukumar, a DMK Rajya Sabha MP between 2001-06 resigned and later joined the AIADMK and then floated his own party, the AISMK.