Chennai, July 25: Tamil actor and politician Kamal Haasan is likely to contest from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 general elections, sources said.
Haasan, who is the founder and president of the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party, had contested from the Coimbatore South Assembly constituency in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. He lost to the BJP's Vanathi Sreenivasan by a slender margin of 1,728 votes.
However, Haasan's performance in the Coimbatore South Assembly elections was seen as a major achievement, given that he was contesting against the BJP, which is a national party with a strong base in Coimbatore.
Sources in the DMK said that the party is keen to have Haasan contest from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 general elections. They said that Haasan's star power and his appeal among the youth could help the DMK in its bid to win the Coimbatore Lok Sabha seat.
The DMK and the MNM are currently in talks to form an alliance for the 2024 general elections. If the two parties do form an alliance, Haasan is likely to be fielded by the DMK from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency.
Haasan has not yet confirmed his plans for the 2024 general elections. However, his recent activities suggest that he is preparing to contest from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency.
In May 2022, Haasan inaugurated a state-level reach-out campaign of the MNM in the Coimbatore South Assembly constituency. During the campaign, he met with party workers and leaders in Coimbatore.
He also interacted with the people of Coimbatore and listened to their grievances. Haasan's visit to Coimbatore was seen as a major political event and it is believed that he was gauging the public mood in the city ahead of the 2024 general elections.
In June 2022, Haasan gifted a car to Sharmila, a Tamil Nadu bus driver who was ousted from her job following a controversy involving DMK leader Kanimozhi. Sharmila had entered into a verbal duel with the conductor of the bus who asked for the ticket fare from Kanimozhi. This led to the owner of the bus dismissing Sharmila.
Haasan's gesture of gifting a car to Sharmila was seen as a way of garnering popularity in Coimbatore. It is believed that Haasan is trying to appeal to the people of Coimbatore by projecting himself as a champion of the common man.
Haasan's decision to contest from the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 general elections is a significant development. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the election.
