Chennai, 9 March

Six years after its founding and fighting two elections by itself, actor Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) on Saturday joined the ruling DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu and extended its support to the bloc for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Amid speculations that Haasan's party might be allotted seats to contest the Parliamentary polls, the DMK gave MNM one seat for the 2025 Rajya Sabha polls.

Haasan and the ruling party President and Chief Minister MK Stalin finalised the deal at the DMK headquarters Anna Arivalayam here. Speaking to reporters after clinching the deal, Haasan said his move to join the alliance was done for the sake of the country and not for any consideration for post. "I have shook hands where it had to be, since this is about the country," he said. Haasan extended his party's "full support" to the alliance.

MNM will campaign in the 39 Lok Sabha seats in TN and the lone Puducherry segment, according to the understanding arrived at by the two leaders.

Haasan launched his party in 2018 amid much fanfare, and then declared it will have a 'centrist' outlook of issues. The party contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and the 2021 assembly polls by itself, but was routed in the hustings as the DMK-led bloc emerged victorious on both occasions.