Kamal Haasan's MNM to contest only 154 Tamil Nadu seats; allies AISMK & IJK get 40 each

In the latest development in poll-bound Tamil Nadu, Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) finalized its seat-sharing pact with allies All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK) and Indhiya Janayaga Katchi (IJK) on Monday. Touted as the third front against the Dravidian parties in the upcoming Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, MNM allotted 40 seats each to Sarath Kumar's AISMK and Paarivendhar's IJK while allotting itself 154 seats. Elections are scheduled to be held in a single-phase in Tamil Nadu, with polling of votes on April 6 followed by the counting of votes on May 2. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Kamal Haasan's MNM received only around 4% of the overall votes, but it managed to capture 10% of all urban pockets, thereby explaining the party's city-town focus in the second leg of campaigning for Assembly elections.

Earlier in February, former AIADMK ally AISMK exited the NDA alliance ahead of the polls after the ruling party did not approach them regarding seat-sharing talks. Sarath Kumar instead joined hands with Paarivendhar's IJK following which he met Kamal Haasan to discuss the possibilities of an alliance. Sarath Kumar had claimed that he had a percentage of vote bank in his favour and announced his decision to move on from the alliance with AIADMK as he received no word from the ruling party thus far. 

MNM's 7-point agenda

Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), on March 3, revealed its seven-point agenda for the welfare of women ahead of the upcoming assembly elections. From ‘monetising household work’ to ensuring ‘50% women in uniform, MNM catalogued its agendas for women in the state.  MNM proposed “every uniformed sector in state services should have 50% women representation” and laid forth the ideas to protect the women in distress. It said hostels in every district should have a free emergency overnight stray for women in distress and “establish a follow-up system” on the complaints registered with 181 women’s helpline.  

Tamil Nadu polls

With AIADMK announcing its state alliance with BJP, the EPS-OPS-led party had refuted any possibility of reconciling with Sasikala, who has now retired from politics ahead of the elections. The EPS-OPS-led larger faction of the AIADMK, on the other hand, is wary of Dhinakaran potentially ending in a position where they could be king-makers in case of a hung assembly as AMMKA stitched an alliance with Owaisi's AIMIM, marking the latter's entry into Tamil Nadu electoral politics. Meanwhile, in a bid to woo voters, EPS has announced a massive farm loan waiver, free COVID vaccines, Pongal gift and rescinded cases against Jallikattu protestors, anti-CAA protestors, COVID lockdown violators, and Kudankulam nuclear power plant protestors.