Actor-turned-politician and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder president Kamal Haasan will be campaigning for Congress’s Erode East Assembly bye-poll candidate EVKS Elangovan, on February 19, Sunday. A party press release stated that he will be campaigning for Elangovan in five locations – Gandhi Silai Karungal Palayam, Surampatti Naalroad, Sampath Nagar, Veerapan Chathiram and Agraharam – in Erode. Kamal Haasan has already announced his support for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led alliance candidate.
Elangovan, who is a former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) president and Union Minister of State, faces an Assembly election after 34 years as his son and Erode East MLA E Thirumahan Everaa passed away on January 4 after suffering a major cardiac arrest. Earlier in December, Kamal Haasan had met Rahul Gandhi during his Bharat Jodo yatra in New Delhi and had walked with him for a few kilometers on an invitation from the Congress.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, MNM candidate AMR Rajkumar received 10,005 votes in Erode East, and the support extended by the MNM could be crucial for Elangovan in the February 27 bye-poll. Kamal Haasan is a crowd puller and his campaign on February 19 for the Congress candidate could help the party candidate. Kamal Haasan had previously announced on January 25 that his party will be supporting Elangovan in the upcoming bye-poll.