Chennai: Rajini to meet RMM functionaries tomorrow, likely to announce party

CHENNAI: Actor Rajinikanth is expected to make an important announcement regarding his political launch on Thursday.Six days after holding a meeting of the Rajini Makkal Mandram (RMM) district secretaries, the actor will meet with the office-bearers again on Thursday, when the announcement is expected.RMM functionaries confirmed to TOI that they received calls from Rajinikanth’s office on Tuesday night, asking them to be present at 9am on Thursday at a marriage hall owned by the actor in Chennai. Multiple sources said that the actor is likely to spell out his political programme that would include the formal launch of a party in the coming days.Stakes are high for AIADMK and DMK in the upcoming Tamil Nadu election scheduled in May 2021. While chief minister and AIADMK joint coordinator Edappadi K Palaniswami and deputy chief minister and party coordinator O Panneerselvam will be fighting for political survival, for M K Stalin, who has had a long wait to give governance a shot, the poll fight is crucial to cement his leadership after the death of his father and former DMK chief M Karunanidhi.For 69-year-old Rajini, the political battle blueprint, which has been in the making for a while, has to succeed in the upcoming assembly election, for him to sustain a decent tenure in Dravidian politics. The actor is expected to spell out the party structure, besides give indication of his alliance plans.