Kamal Haasan, actor, politician and founder of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), on Tuesday announced that his party will not contest the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections in 2026.
Haasan’s NRM was expected to contest the April 23 elections under a seat-sharing plan with the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party.
Elections to the 234-seat Tamil Nadu Assembly are scheduled to be held on April 23, while the counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 4, along with elections in West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry.
Why is Kamal Haasan’s party not competing?
Kamal Haasan’s Secular Progressive Movement, a member of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance, said the number of seats offered by the DMK and the “suggestion” that NM candidates should contest under the leadership of the sunshine symbol of the party led by Prime Minister MK Stalin is unacceptable.
When announcing the decision not to run in the elections, Hassan, the founder of the movement, said that his party would continue to provide unconditional support to all candidates of the coalition led by the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
Hassan said that the decision to abstain from the elections “was not a sacrifice, but rather a duty,” and through that he planted the seeds of a new political civilization. According to PTI’s translation of his statement, “Rejecting what the Prime Minister proudly offers is also a form of love.” He added that he gave up the seats for the progress of Tamil Nadu and to form a Dravidian 2.0 model government which was the need of the hour.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin hailed the announcement as a “courageous decision that sets aside self-interest with dignity and prioritizes the welfare of Tamil Nadu”.
“I don’t know how to express my gratitude to him. His decision has deeply affected me,” the agency quoted Stalin, who is DMK president, as saying. As a token of his gratitude, Stalin asked “Brother Kamal Haasan” to campaign across Tamil Nadu for the April 23 elections.
“There is no complete stop in politics.”
“In today’s difficult political environment, the number of seats they (DMK) promised to give us and the suggestion that we should contest under the symbol of the rising sun are unacceptable to the NDM members and me,” Haasan, who called the Prime Minister and informed him of his decision on Tuesday evening, said in the statement.
Hassan said in politics, elections are only part and not final. There is no “complete halt” in politics, according to PTI.
The NRM joined the KDP-led coalition during the recent parliamentary elections. “We worked hard for the success of the alliance. As a result, the voice of Makkal Needhi Maiam was heard in the Rajya Sabha. From that day till today, we have maintained the dharma of the alliance without giving up our uniqueness,” he said.
The Prime Minister and other leaders of the DMK had behaved “with love, respect and cordiality” towards him during the seat-sharing negotiations for the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
Hassan said that he fully understands that there is justification for this on their part.
“In an environment where communal forces are planning in every way to take over Tamil Nadu one way or the other, the overall chance of an alliance victory is crucial. This is justified,” Haasan said.
But the movement’s members’ attachment to the party’s “torch” symbol is emotional because it is not just a symbol for them, it is their “identity.”
He added: “I cannot and will not ignore the feelings of my employees who have been traveling with me for nine years without any gains.”
