Assembly Elections LIVE updates: Kamal Haasan’s MNM decides not to contest, extends support to DMK

1 hour ago 4

ARTICLE AD BOX

The Election Commission of India yesterday held a review meeting with senior officials from four poll-bound States and one Union Territory, as well as the 12 States that share borders with them

Published - March 25, 2026 08:08 am IST

DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin meets Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) MP Kamal Haasan, in Chennai on Tuesday. (@mkstalin X/ANI Photo)

Chennai, Mar 24 (ANI): DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin meets Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) MP Kamal Haasan, in Chennai on Tuesday. (@mkstalin X/ANI Photo) | Photo Credit: ANI

Makkal Needhi Maiam founder and Rajya Sabha M.P., Kamal Haasan, on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) said that the party wouldn’t be contesting the upcoming 2026 assembly elections but has decided to extend its full support to the secular progressive alliance led by the DMK in Tamil Nadu.

Poll officials on Tuesday accepted the nomination papers of Opposition leader in Kerala Assembly, V.D. Satheesan, after rejecting complaints lodged by the Left Democratic Front (LDF), alleging that he had concealed information and underreported his income.

Also read | ‘Cat is out of the bag’: Mamata on BJP stamp appearing on ECI letter in Kerala

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) held a review meeting with senior officials from four poll-bound States and one Union Territory, as well as the 12 States that share borders with them, with a special focus on sealing the borders of neighbouring districts to maintain peace, two weeks before polling is set to begin.

Also read | ECI reviews preparedness, law-and-order in poll-bound States

Assam, Kerala, and the Union Territory of Puducherry will go to the polls on April 9, 2026. In Tamil Nadu, the election will be conducted on April 23. The first phase of elections will be held on April 23, 2026, in West Bengal, and the second phase on April 29, 2026. The counting for all these elections will be held on May 4, 2026.

Follow for more updates:

March 25, 2026 08:08
Ahom heartland fight gets a ‘friendly’ twist, as the BJP fields a candidate against ally AGP
A ‘friendly’ twist in the electoral contest in Sivasagar, the Ahom heartland of eastern Assam, has triggered a “fight to the finish” between allies of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made a last-minute move on Monday (March 23, 2026) to field former extremist Kushal Dowari from the Sibsagar Assembly constituency, pitting him against a candidate from the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which is also an NDA member.
Read more:
Ahom heartland fight gets a ‘friendly’ twist, as the BJP fields a candidate against ally AGP
BJP's unexpected candidate sparks a triangular contest in Sibsagar, challenging AGP and incumbent Akhil Gogoi in Assam elections.
March 25, 2026 08:08
Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: On rebels and mini-screen actors
Twenty20, a corporate-backed political outfit, which had made some electoral gains in the last two local body elections in the eastern belt of Ernakulam district, tried something unheard of in Kerala politics by fielding two participants of popular TV shows as well as two woman actors of Malayalam cinema as their candidates, besides a few other professionals, including a lawyer, in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Read more:
Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: On rebels and mini-screen actors
Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: Defectors dominate headlines in Kerala as it gears up for a high-stakes election