TN urban body polls: Kamal Haasan's MNM hunts for candidates
Chennai, Jan 3: The Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), a party led by actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, is scouting for candidates for the upcoming urban local body polls likely to be held in February.
Posters inviting prospective candidates on behalf of the MNM have appeared in several places at Chennai and when contacted, an office-bearer of the organisation said that the party is indeed looking for good candidates.
However, party secretary in charge of media Murali Appas, while speaking to IANS said:
"The MNM has a decent vote share in Chennai and we have garnered around 20,000 votes in certain Assembly seats in the 2021 elections. Our poster was "Let us Set Right Tamil Nadu" and " Who is your candidate". Of course we will try to get a good pool of eligible people to contest for the upcoming urban local body polls and posters are part of that exercise."
Notably, the MNM had drawn flak after it failed to get enough candidates in the recent rural local body elections in nine districts. Of the 140 seats to the District councilor posts, the party could field only 28 candidates, which could be seen as a major setback for the MNM.
Meanwhile, R. Robert Chandran, a social activist and political observer who is into psephology, based out of Valsaravakkam in Chennai while speaking to IANS said: "Kamal Haasan has a good chance in Tamil politics as there is no other matinee idol now in the state who is into politics and Kamal is a big star. I think he is losing focus and if he does proper groundwork and projects him well, there are chances of his party gaining ground in the ensuing urban local body polls."
He said that the urban voters will strike a chord with Kamal Haasan and if educated and eligible people are projected as candidates, the MNM can do wonders in the polls.
Robert said: "MNM has won a large number of votes in Chennai and Coimbatore and if proper groundwork is done, the party will indeed make a breakthrough and even win some seats."
The MNM, according to its functionaries, has already approved eight posters that are used in Chennai to create awareness among the voters and to try and get eligible candidates.