Actor and Rajya Sabha MP Kamal Haasan on Friday chaired a crucial meeting of senior office-bearers of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) in Chennai, signalling the party’s intent to sharpen its political strategy ahead of the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
The meeting gains significance in the backdrop of the Election Commission allotting the ‘Torchlight’ symbol to MNM for contesting in all 234 Assembly constituencies. Party leaders are understood to have discussed organisational preparedness, seat-sharing dynamics, and campaign strategy during the closed-door deliberations.
MNM is currently part of the DMK-led alliance, and Kamal Haasan had actively campaigned for the alliance during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. His entry into the Rajya Sabha further strengthened MNM’s position within the alliance, providing the party a voice at the national level.
According to party sources, MNM is seeking a double-digit number of Assembly seats as part of the DMK-led alliance for the upcoming polls. The leadership is also keen that the party contests the elections exclusively under the Torchlight symbol, which it views as a key identity marker among voters.
Sources said the discussions also focused on identifying winnable constituencies, strengthening booth-level structures, and projecting MNM as a reform-oriented force within the alliance framework.