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LIVE HIGHLIGHTS: Rajinikanth has finally announced his entry into politics, ending the months-long suspense which had kept his fans, observers, politicians and fellow film stars on tenterhooks for months. Speaking to his hundreds of fans who trooped into the Raghavendra marriage hall in Chennai, Rajinikanth stopped short of announcing a political party, saying only that he would float one at the “appropriate time”. That didn’t stop one fan from coming armed with a ‘party flag’ — a tricolour of red, white and blue with a sketch of Rajinikanth. First among those to congratulate Rajinikanth was his cinema, and perhaps, political rival Kamal Haasan. The BJP, too, welcomed him, saying it shares his ideal of honesty in politics. The AIADMK was more cautious, welcoming the actor in politics, but seeking to know his “blueprint” of politics. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy was quick to dismiss the hype around Rajinikanth’s political plunge, predicting he would ‘flop’. With the announcement, the Thalaivar of Tamil cinema has ended the months-long suspense and again stirred the political pot in Tamil Nadu, which has been going through a political vacuum since the death of AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa last year.Stay tuned asbrings you live updates: