Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan will contest from Coimbatore South constituency in the upcoming Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu.

“They say, if Kongu prospers the whole of Tamil Nadu will prosper. But the Kongu region has become a fortress of corruption. I have decided to contest here to change all that,” Haasan told the media while releasing the second list of MNM candidates on Friday. Coimbatore is part of Kongu belt or region in Tamil Nadu, which has traditionally been a bastion of the ruling AIADMK.

In Coimbatore South, Haasan will face BJP and Congress. Both the parties are yet to announce their candidates for this constituency.

The other prominent names in the MNM's second list includes the party Vice-president R Mahendran who will contest from Singanallur constituency in Coimbatore. Mahendran, who contested from Coimbatore in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, polled over 1.45 lakh votes — highest among the 36 MNM contestants.

Besides Haasan, some of the known faces names in the second list include Pazha Karuppiah (T Nagar), actor Sripriya (Mylapore) and entrepreneur Sarathbabu Elumalai (Alandur). Former bureaucrat Santosh Babu, who was named as the Villivakkam candidate in the first list, has now been fielded from Velachery constituency.

MNM has so far announced candidates for 113 out of 154 assembly seats it is contesting. The party has allocated 40 seats each to its two alliance partners - All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK) and Indhiya Jananayaka Katchi (IJK).

MNM’s first list featured V Ponraj, former aide to late President APJ Abdul Kalam, from Anna Nagar, film lyricist Snehan (Virugambakkam) and MNM women’s wing secretary Sneha Mohandoss (Saidapet).

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