Kamal Haasan expects support from Rajini in Assembly polls

Chennai : Superstar and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) supremo Kamal Haasan is expecting to get full support and blessings from southern movie icon Rajinikanth whose Rajini Makkal Mandram (fans’ association) has as many as 65,000 units across the state.Rajinikanth had earlier announced his plans for an entry into politics and was expected to align with the BJP, especially after the mega star held direct talks with the senior BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. However, following health issues, Rajinikanth had to shelve his plans of a political entry.Speculation were rife after Kamal Haasan conducted a series of meetings with Rajinikanth and even tweeted that he was willing to align with the latter, setting aside ‘personal ego’.Rajinikanth did not open his mouth on this, but Kamal Haasan met the former at his Poes Garden residence and publicly announced the visits. There were unannounced visits as well.C. Rajeev, political observer and Director of the Centre for Policy and Development Studies (CPDS), a Chennai-based think-tank, tolod IANS, “A Kamal Haasan-Rajinikanth combination will reap a lot of dividends in the political hemisphere for MNM and even after the tall claims of both the DMK-led front and the AIADMK-led front on seizing power. The exact picture is yet to evolve. With the moving forces of DMK and AIADMK, M. Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa, passing away, the charisma and public appeal of the present leadership has to be ascertained after the poll results, as this is the first Assembly elections in the state after their demise.”He added, “If Rajinikanth extends his support to Kamal Haasan, which is not an unlikely scenario, the results of Tamil Nadu elections will be unpredictable. The opinion polls and the expert studies will be blown away as politics has unexpected turns and this can be one.”The Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) has more than 65,000 units across the state, and the mega star was planning to enroll more than 1.25 crore members before the launch of his political party.He had called upon the RMM leaders to enroll 30 members in each of the 65,000 units in the state which would lead to 19 lakh members and 50,000 active members.If each of these 19 lakh members brings in 5 to 10 members, then there will be more than 1.25 crore members. This was an ambitious plan of Rajinikanth fans but with the party not taking off, the RMM members can support any political outfit which the mega star suggests and this is exactly what Kamal Haasan is expecting.