Sarathkumar & Kamal Haasan Meet, Discuss Alliance Ahead of TN Poll

Kamal Haasan will finalise on an alliance with Sarathkumar after holding discussions with party members.

Actor-politician Sarathkumar met with Kamal Hassan to discuss forming an alliance with Makkal Needhi Maiam.

(Photo: The Quint)

Actor-politician Sarathkumar met with Kamal Haasan on Saturday, 27 February, to discuss forming an alliance with the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) for the upcoming Assembly elections.

“I had announced to join hands with Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi and contest elections. I wanted to contest with good people. I've met Kamal Haasan. They'll decide as to how to take it forward. We expect good decision soon," said Sarathkumar.

Haasan will announce his final decision after holding discussions with party members.

Emergence of the Third Front?

Tamil Nadu has been home to Dravidian parties AIADMK and DMK for decades and this year, the state is seeing the emergence of the third front, as Haasan would like to call it.

Haasan launched his party MNM in 2018 and will be making his poll debut in these upcoming elections. In a press conference called on Saturday, 27 February, he announced that his party will start interviewing candidates from 1 March.

The actor-politician had halted campaigning in December to undergo a surgery. He announced that he will resume with his campaigning from 3 March.

Sarathkumar, who met with Hasaan at his party office, confirmed they are no longer in an alliance with AIADMK.

“We were part of AIADMK alliance for last 10 years. There was no invite for an alliance talks. We have decided to move on from alliance,” he said.

Recently, Sarathkumar and his wife Radhikaa Sarathkumar met with VK Sasikala, a long-time aide of Jayalalithaa and former interim general secretary of the AIADMK. He clarified that it was a “courtesy call.”

Actor Sarathkumar at the press conference called by Makkal Needhi Maiam.(Photo: The Quint)

Sarathkumar: From DMK to AIADMK to Going Independent

Actor Sarathkumar has acted in more than 130 Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada films and was the former president of the South Indian Film Artistes' Association.

In 2007, he launched a political party All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK) in Tamil Nadu, based on the ideologies of Kamaraj.

In 1996, he entered politics, joining the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). In 1998, he contested from Tirunelveli for the Lok Sabha elections and lost.

In July 2001, he became a Rajya Sabha member, but resigned before the 2006 Assembly elections to join the AIADMK along with his wife and actor Radhikaa. In October 2006, Radhikaa was dismissed from AIADMK for anti-party activities and he also quit AIADMK in November 2006.

Ahead of the 2011 Assembly elections, Sarathkumar joined the AIADMK alliance. His party won in two Assembly constituencies and Sarathkumar became the MLA of Tenkasi. In the 2016 Assembly elections, he lost in Tiruchendur Constituency.