Actor and politician Kamal Haasan’s party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) has been allotted the ‘Battery Torch’ symbol for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The Election Commission made the announcement vide a notification dated March 9, 2019.

MNM had reportedly requested the ECI to allocate a common symbol for the party across constituencies to contest in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Kamal Haasan later took to Twitter to thank the ECI. “MNM thanks the Election Commission for granting us the "Battery Torch" symbol for the forthcoming elections.  So appropriate. @maiamofficial will endeavour to be the “Torch-Bearer” for a new era in TN and  Indian politics,” tweeted the MNM Chief.

MNM thanks the Election commision for granting us the "Battery Torch" symbol for the forthcoming elections. So appropriate. @maiamofficial will endeavour to be the “Torch-Bearer” for a new era in TN and Indian politics.

— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) March 10, 2019

In February, Kamal Haasan had announced that his party would contest in all 39 seats in Tamil Nadu and one seat in Puducherry in the Lok Sabha elections. He had also made it clear that his party would not ally with any other party, but would face the polls alone.

In the one-year since the party’s launch in February 2018, Kamal Haasan has met with political leaders across the spectrum. His meeting with Congress President Rahul Gandhi sparked off speculations about MNM teaming up with the Congress for the elections. With Kamal Haasan categorically ruling out an alliance with the DMK or the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu, a partnership with Congress also became impossible as the latter forged an alliance with the DMK for the polls.

Kamal Haasan, with his party workers, was seen on the ground after cyclone Gaja and had distributed relief items to those affected by the cyclone. Recently, he launched the Puducherry unit of the party.

MNM had invited applications from those who were willing to contest the Lok Sabha elections, between February 28 and March 7, on payment of Rs 10,000.