CHENNAI: Retired Inspector General of Police A G Mourya and film producer Kameela Nasser will make their electoral debuts in the upcoming parliamentary polls for the Makkal Needhi Maiam. Mourya will contest from Chennai North and Kameela from Chennai Central.
MNM president Kamal Haasan on Monday announced 21 candidates for the Lok Sabha elections. “The remaining candidates will be announced in Coimbatore on Sunday,” he said, explaining that interviews for candidates from some constituencies were still on.
Kamal, however, refused to confirm or deny his own candidature, even as rumours about his contesting from hometown Ramanathapuram are doing the rounds. “All speculations will be put to rest on Sunday,” Haasan said.
The list of candidates announced includes seven businessmen, three advocates, and two doctors. Retired district judge K Guruviah and founder of the Dalit Munnetra Kazhagam, Anbin Poyyamozhi have also been given seats and will be contesting from Nagapattinam and Villupuram respectively.
Standing true to their promise of allowing non-party members to contest the polls, Makkal Needhi Maiam has given a seat to G Ebenezer, a businessman from Chennai, who caught the party president’s eye when he actively led jallikattu protests at the Marina in 2017. Ebenezer, who had formed his own party with youngsters after the protests, will be contesting from Kanniyakumari. When I was approached by the MNM to take part in interviews, I readily accepted and I am thrilled to represent the party from Kanniyakumari, which is close to my home town,” Ebenezar told Express.
Speaking to press after announcing the candidates, Kamal Haasan criticised the increasingly visible dynasty politics of the Dravidian majors and their manifestos that were released on Monday. “They used to say it was the land of the Rising Sun (on dynasty politics in the DMK) but they clearly seem to have misspelled the word,” Haasan, said in a jocular vein.