• Source:JND
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With Lok Sabha elections just around the corner, Actor and politician Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on Saturday joined the DMK-led alliance. Following a seat-sharing agreement, MNM was also allotted one seat for the 2025 Rajya Sabha elections. 

This is the first time that Hassan’s party has entered an alliance with the DMK. Haasan and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin finalised the deal at the DMK headquarters in Chennai’s Anna Arivalayam.

Following a seat-sharing agreement, Hassan said that his decision to join the alliance was for the sake of the country and not for any consideration of the post. “My party and I are not contesting this election. But we will give all cooperation to this alliance. We have joined hands as this is not just for a position, this is for the nation,” Hassan was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI. 

According to the deal which was done between the two leaders, Haasan’s MNM will do campaign-related work in the 39 Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamil Nadu and the lone Puducherry segment. 

Following a meeting with the DMK, MNM general secretary Arunachalam said that the party is not going to contest the upcoming Lok Sobha elections and will only support and campaign for the alliance.

"Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) is not contesting (the Lok Sabha elections), the party will support and campaign. One seat for MNM in Rajya Sabha (in 2025)," MNM’s general secretary Arunachalam was quoted as saying by ANI. 

The moves comes as DMK’s talks with the INDIA bloc partner Congress are still underway with Stalin’s party reportedly repeating its 2019 offer of nine seats. Last time, the grand old party won eight constituencies. The DMK had been working on a deal with the Congress, an INDIA bloc ally with whom it secured a massive victory in the 2019 general and 2021 state elections.