Kamal Haasan to contest from MGR's old constituency?

In yet another bid to claim the legacy of M G Ramachandran, actor-politician Kamal Haasan is likely to make his debut in elections from Alandur, which was represented by the late matinee idol for a decade from 1967.

Alandur constituency was known as Parangimalai till 1977 after which it was renamed. Though Kamal was keen on contesting from Velachery, a constituency that has a sizeable chunk of middle-class and upper-middle-class voters, MNM leaders now feel Alandur is the right choice.

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“Our leader Kamal Haasan has been claiming the legacy of M G Ramachandran and we feel it is fitting that he contests from Alandur. We have proposed this to him and he will take a call,” a senior MNM leader told DH. However, the leader added that Velachery and T. Nagar are still among the choices for Kamal. If Kamal contests from Alandur, the party may field one of its general secretaries from Velachery.

MNM candidate, M Sridhar, had scored over 10 per cent of the total polled votes in the constituency in the 2019 LS polls from Sriperumbudur parliamentary seat.

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DH had on December 16 reported that Kamal might test the electoral waters from the Velachery constituency. Alandur, formerly known as Parangimalai, has a special place in Tamil Nadu's political history as MGR made his debut in elections in 1967 and later successfully sought re-election in 1971.

Kamal, who projects himself as a change agent, has been making a concerted effort to claim the legacy of MGR, inviting vehement opposition from AIADMK, the party the late leader founded in 1972. The BJP has also sought to claim MGR's legacy.