Tamil superstar and founder president of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), Kamal Haasan, is reportedly set to contest from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency in the upcoming 2024 general elections as part of the alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The decision comes after Kamal Haasan’s impressive performance in the 2021 Assembly polls, where he narrowly lost to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate, Vanathi Sreenivasan, by a mere margin of 1,728 votes.
According to highly placed sources in the MNM party, the DMK is keen on allocating the Coimbatore seat to Kamal Haasan due to his popularity and commendable showing in the previous election. The MNM leader’s entry into the Coimbatore South Assembly constituency has already kickstarted a state-level reach-out campaign called ‘Mayalodu Miami,’ which aims to connect with the people at the grassroots level.
Under this campaign, the MNM party leaders and cadres plan to engage with citizens across all 234 Assembly constituencies in Tamil Nadu, seeking their valuable feedback on the issues they face daily. The initiative aims to address the concerns that might have been overlooked by the people’s representatives in their respective constituencies.
A senior leader of the MNM party revealed that they will incorporate the feedback collected from the people into their election manifesto, ensuring that it reflects the genuine aspirations and needs of the electorate.
To obtain a comprehensive picture of the challenges faced by each constituency, the party is utilising a structured approach. Each ward secretary has been provided with a list of 25 binary questions related to basic amenities in their area. This data will be collected through a Google Form, enabling the party to gain insights into the specific issues affecting the citizens of each region.
It has also been reported that the MNM party’s Coimbatore district functionaries have already approached Kamal Haasan, urging him to contest from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat in the upcoming 2024 elections.
In a noteworthy gesture, Kamal Haasan recently gifted a car to Sharmila, a Tamil Nadu bus driver who had faced repercussions after an altercation with the conductor over DMK leader Kanimozhi boarding the bus driven by her. Sharmila lost her job due to the controversy, and Kamal Haasan extended his support by presenting her with a new car, allowing her to continue her livelihood.
This act of goodwill by Kamal Haasan has further endeared him to the people of Coimbatore and is seen as an attempt to enhance his popularity in the region ahead of the general elections.
With Kamal Haasan’s political aspirations gaining momentum and the DMK alliance backing his candidacy for the Coimbatore seat, the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu promise to be a fiercely contested and significant political battleground.
