Ending Suspense, Kamal Haasan Declares Will Fight 2019 Polls; All Eyes on Rajinikanth Now

Chennai: Ending months of speculation over his electoral debut, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Saturday declared he would contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

“I will definitely contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections,” Haasan was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

He said his party has authorised him to a take a decision on forging alliance with other parties. “After discussions, the party executive and administrative panels authorised me to take a decision on forging alliance with like-minded parties and a good alliance will fructify," Haasan said.

He had recently said that he was not averse to forging poll ties with the Congress if it eased itself out of the DMK-led alliance, which the national party has rejected.

The 64-year-old actor had taken the political plunge by launching the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on February 21 in Madurai. Since then, Haasan has focussed on touring Tamil Nadu to build the party base.

Asked to name the parties with which MNM would strike an electoral alliance, he said there was no need to spell out details now. "We will let you know after taking a decision. Now there is no urgency to disclose it," he said.

Haasan’s declaration is likely to put pressure on his contemporary Rajinikanth, who had also announced political foray but is yet to launch a political party.

While Haasan has repeatedly hit out at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rajinikanth was seen as being closer to the BJP and had even showered praises on the PM saying he was 'stronger' than '10 persons' aligning against him. "When 10 persons go against one person, who is stronger? Those 10, or the persons they are aligning against. If 10 persons declare a war against one man, who is stronger," he had told reporters last month.

The results of the just-concluded Assembly elections are likely to weigh heavily on the minds of both newbie netas when they firm up plans for 2019. While Haasan had hailed the results, in which the Congress trumped the BJP, as sign of a “new start”, Rajinikanth had cautiously termed it as a “setback” for the saffron party.