Full support to DMK: Kamal Haasan's MNM opts out of Tamil Nadu Assembly poll race

Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on Tuesday said it will not contest the April 23 Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, choosing instead to extend full support to the ruling DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance.

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The decision was announced by Haasan, who said his party would back all candidates of the alliance without entering the electoral fray. In a statement, he said, "In politics, election is only a part, and it is not final; there is no 'full stop' in politics."

In a detailed statement posted on X, Haasan said many political parties are preparing to contest the assembly polls. However, he added, MNM's movement believes that strengthening democratic values and working for the people is more important than electoral participation alone.

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"In this context, after careful consideration of the current political situation, and in the interest of the people of Tamil Nadu, Makkal Needhi Maiam has decided not to contest the upcoming Assembly elections," he wrote. "At the same time, we believe it is our duty to support forces that work towards people’s welfare. Therefore, we extend our support to the Secular Progressive Alliance led by the DMK."

The decision continues MNM's alignment with the DMK. The party had already chosen not to contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after joining the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and instead campaigned for the INDIA bloc across all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and the single Puducherry seat.

"Makkal Needhi Maiam is not contesting (the Lok Sabha elections), the party will support and campaign. One seat for MNM in Rajya Sabha (in 2025)," the party's general secretary Arunachalam had said then in 2024.

Founded on 21 February 2018 in Madurai, MNM has had limited electoral success since its launch. It contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in 37 constituencies in Tamil Nadu, securing about 3.72% of the vote share but failing to win any seats.

In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the party fielded candidates in 180 of the 234 constituencies, polling around 2.6% of the total vote. None of its candidates won, and all lost their deposits.

The latest decision to stay out of the Assembly elections signals a continuation of MNM's strategy to consolidate its position within the DMK-led alliance rather than pursue an independent electoral contest.