COIMBATORE: Riding on star value, Makkal Needhi Maiam founder actor Kamal Haasan put up a tough fight in the Coimbatore South constituency. Entering the electoral fray for the first time, Kamal had a slight lead in the earlier rounds, which was snatched away by BJP candidate Vanathi Srinivasan in the 23rd round (out of the total 26 rounds).
Overall, it was a tough fight with Kamal leading for the majority of the period and Congress candidate Mayura S Jayakumar securing the lead on a few occasions before BJP candidate Vanathi Srinivasan gained late momentum. Srinivasan (53,021) won by the margin of 1,352 votes against Kamal who received 51,669 votes.
The MNM was leading only in Coimbatore South and Kamal selected this constituency following his party’s decent show in the 2019 Parliamentary election securing 1.4 lakh votes. However, his maiden attempt was not without its moments. The overwhelming crowds that greeted him, thanks to his star value, boosted his confidence.
MNM won a vote share of 3.72% in the last Lok Sabha elections that had boosted its confidence ahead of the Assembly election. MNM contested from 142 constituencies in this election but the party failed to make its presence felt in this election, except for the actor himself.