Chennai: Popular Tamil actor and founder president of All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK), R. Sarath Kumar is likely to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
According to senior leaders of the Tamil Nadu BJP, discussions with Sarath Kumar are at an advanced phase and if he joins NDA, the actor politician will, in all likelihood be allocated the Tirunelveli Loksabha seat.
It is to be noted that Sarath Kumar had contested the Lok Sabha elections from Tirunelveli constituency in 1998 on a DMK ticket but lost. However, he was made a Rajya Sabha Member in 2001 by DMK.
In 2006, Sharath Kumar and his wife, actor and politician Radhika Sharath Kumar joined the AIADMK. However, AIADMK expelled Radhika after a few years leading to Sarath Kumar also quitting the party amid floating his own party (AISMK) in 2011.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, Sarath Kumar contested in alliance with actor Kamal Haasan‘s political outfit, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM ) but lost.
It is to be noted that after the AIADMK snapped ties with BJP, the saffron outfit is scouting for a broader alliance with smaller parties and at the same time keeping open options of reentering the alliance with AIADMK.