Kamal Hassan’s MNM opts out of TN assembly polls, extends unconditional support to DMK-led front

Declining to contest on the DMK’s symbol in a reduced number of seats, the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) of actor-politician Kamal Hassan, a constituent of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), is opting out of the Tamil Nadu Assembly election while extending unconditional support to the front.

“Given the present political context, contesting on the DMK’s symbol and the number of seats promised to us is neither acceptable to me nor to the party workers. Declining to accept with grace what the Chief Minister offers with love is also a form of love. With humility, I would say that I have sowed the seed for a new political culture,” he told reporters after meeting Chief Minister MK Stalin at the DMK headquarters, Anna Arivalayam.

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“With clarity in the heart and with an open mind, we announce that the MNM will not contest the 2026 assembly election directly but extend unconditional support to the candidates of the DMK-led alliance,” the versatile actor said in a two-page statement earlier. Offering a rationale for this, he explained that the Dravidian Model Government 2.o is necessary for the development of Tamil Nadu and to implement the ideals of Gandhi, ‘Periyar’ EV Ramasamy, the Dravidian social reformer, and Ambedkar.

The decision of Hassan, who was given a Rajya Sabha berth last year by the DMK, comes within an hour of the new entrant into the alliance, DMDK of Premalatha Vijayakanth, being allotted 10 seats. The DMDK was earlier allotted an RS seat, as part of the deal. Earlier in the day, the VCK, a key ally of the DMK and a fellow traveler for the last three elections, was given 8 seats, 2 more than it contested last time. The two Left parties had inked the pact with 5 seats each, one less than the previous time.

With the inking of the agreement with the DMDK, the DMK had almost completed the seat-sharing exercise with the allies. The Dravidian major will accommodate few other minor parties in a day or two. As of now, the DMK has earmarked 28 seats to the Congress, 10 to the DMDK, 8 to VCK and 5 each to the CPI and CPI(M).