Treasurer of Kamal Haasan's MNM searched by Income Tax sleuths before Tamil Nadu elections

Income Tax raids were conducted at the premises of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) treasurer Chandrashekran on Wednesday ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections. Chandrashekaran, the Managing Director of Anitha HealthCare & Anitha Texcot India Private Ltd in Tiruppur, came under the IT scanner as Anitha Textcot office premises at Bridgeway Colony extension in Lakshmi Nagar, Tiruppur was searched by Income Tax sleuths. Elections are scheduled to be held in a single-phase in Tamil Nadu, with the polling of votes on April 6 followed by the declaration of results on May 2. 

Meanwhile, I-T searches also took place at offices and residences of DMK and MDMK leaders on Wednesday. As per reports, searches were conducted in DMK’s KS Dhanasekar and MDMK's Kavin Nagaraj. The Election Commission on Wednesday said record seizures worth Rs 331 crore have been made so far in the four poll-going states and Puducherry as part of the expenditure monitoring process.

Kamal Haasan declares Rs 176 cr assets

Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) permanent president Kamal Haasan declared moveable assets worth Rs 46 crore and immovable assets worth Rs 131 crore in his possession as he submitted the affidavit for the polls from Coimbatore South constituency. The actor-turned-politician declared Rs 2.43 crore in bank deposits, Rs 26.1 lakh in investments such as mutual funds and shares, Rs 2.39 crore in insurance, Rs 36.24 crore in personal loans, and Rs 3.69 crore in vehicles. Kamal Haasan also owns agricultural land sprawled across 35.59 acres valued at Rs 17.77 crore while the value of the actor's commercial establishments in the state capital is valued at Rs 92.05 crore.

Tamil Nadu Assembly polls

The two warring factions in AIADMK - of Deputy CM O Pannerselvam (OPS) and CM E Palaniswamy (EPS), reconciled after the party named incumbent E Palaniswamy as its CM candidate and O Panneerselvam as the chief of the 11-member steering committee. EPS has also announced a slew of social measures like Pongal gift hampers, farm loan waiver, free COVID-19 vaccines, passing school students, etc which has been slammed by DMK M K Stalin calling it 'pre-poll appeasement'.  Meanwhile, ex-CM Karunanidhi's successor - DMK chief MK Stalin eyes his maiden CM term as DMK cannot afford to lose a third straight Assembly election after sweeping the state in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls with 38 seats. The AIADMK has also survived a long-running tug-of-war over its leadership with Sasikala announcing her intention to retire from politics, and her nephew TTV Dhinakaran allying his AMMK with the SDPI, Asaduddin Owaiai's AIMIM and Captain Vijaykanth's DMDK.