Why Kamal Haasan’s MNM is ready to compromise on number of seats but not symbol

Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maiyam (MNM) has decided to contest the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections only under its official Torch Light symbol allotted by the Election Commission (EC) even if it means accepting fewer seats from the DMK alliance than originally demanded.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting chaired by the actor-turned-politician himself on Thursday (March 19), where district secretaries, zonal organisers, executive committee and working committee members unanimously pressed the party chief to stick to the Torch Light symbol.

Deadlock in seat-sharing talks

This comes amid a deadlock in the party’s standoff with the DMK leadership. The DMK is offering the MNM only two seats and insists that its candidates must contest under the DMK’s Rising Sun symbol, leaving seat-sharing talks between the two parties unresolved.

Political sources close to the negotiations say Kamal Haasan had initially sought at least 10 seats in the DMK-led alliance. That demand has since been whittled down to just two, leaving the MNM supremo visibly upset.

Also read: Ramadoss, Sasikala join hands: Does caste matter in TN polls anymore?

MNM General Secretary A Arunachalam told The Federal, “We must contest only under the Torch Light symbol. This was the unanimous demand placed before our leader Kamal Haasan by the entire administration and office-bearers. He listened carefully to all the views and said he would announce his decision within a day or two. Our friendship with the DMK continues. Talks are still underway. Once the leader takes a call, we will convey it to the DMK team.”

Arunachalam had already signalled the party’s priorities after the second round of seat-sharing talks on Wednesday (March 19). “There is no problem at all regarding the number of seats. But they (DMK) said we should contest under their symbol. In the past elections, we have secured an average of four per cent votes under our Torch Light symbol. The symbol has reached the people and our cadres. Therefore, we have strongly insisted that we will contest only under it,” he had said.

Crossing the 4 per cent mark

The question now being asked in political circles is: Why is Kamal Haasan’s party so firm on retaining the Torch Light symbol even after accepting far fewer seats? Party insiders point out that the symbol has gained strong recognition among voters and workers, especially after MNM crossed the 4 per cent vote threshold in both the last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.

Also, MNM was formed by Kamal Haasan as an alternative political force. Contesting under the DMK’s Rising Sun, even in an alliance, would mean that both candidates and voters will see MNM as just another DMK appendage. This would erase the party’s separate brand, which has been carefully built over the past six years.

Also read: TN Assembly elections: DMK allots 5 seats to CPI, trims 2021 tally

Despite the sharp differences over the symbol, Kamal Haasan has left no room for doubt about his commitment to the broader alliance. Addressing the core issue directly, Kamal Haasan declared, “In the upcoming Assembly elections, I will campaign in support of the DMK. I am in the DMK alliance because it is the need of the country.”

Sources close to the actor-politician say he has already assured DMK president and Chief Minister MK Stalin that he will campaign vigorously for the alliance across the state, irrespective of how many seats MNM ultimately gets.