CHENNAI: The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), leading a grand alliance for the 2026 Assembly elections, on Tuesday signed a seat-sharing pact with its new ally, the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), allotting it 10 seats, making it the third-largest party in the alliance after the Congress.
Meanwhile, actor-politician and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president Kamal Haasan announced that his party will not contest the Assembly elections but will extend “unconditional support” to the DMK alliance.
Haasan said the number of seats offered to MNM by the DMK, as well as the suggestion to contest under the party’s ‘rising sun’ symbol, was not acceptable, though he understood the reasons behind the proposal.
“For me politics is not a business, but a responsibility. I would stand by the DMK and would extend support from outside. DMK will form the government again,” he told reporters after meeting DMK president and Chief Minister M K Stalin at the party headquarters.
In a statement released before the meeting, Haasan said, “In the present political scenario, the constituencies offered by DMK and its suggestion to contest from the DMK’s rising sun symbol was not acceptable,” adding, “This is not sacrifice, but duty. This is not selfishness, but patience.”
Earlier in the evening, DMDK general secretary Premalatha Vijayakanth met Stalin at the DMK headquarters, shortly before Haasan’s visit.
Premalatha told reporters that her party had compromised on its earlier demand for a higher number of seats, similar to other allies in the DMK-led front.
“We have submitted a wishlist of 25 constituencies where the party has the chance of winning the election. A five member committee will be formed and will hold talks with the DMK to select the 10 constituencies,” she said.
She added that the constituency list will be finalised on March 27 and that DMDK candidates will file their nomination papers on April 1.