Mum during polls, Rajni must reclaim fan base

On March 15, Sathyanarayana, president of the Rajnikant Fans’ Welfare Association and a close associate of the actor, announced that Rajnikant was busy shooting for his latest film Shivaji and hence, would not issue any political statement. However, his fans were free to support any candidate.

Thousands of fans across the state chose to support different political parties—the AIADMK, the DMK and even actor Vijayakant’s DMDK. But what worried the actor and his associates were reports of his mandrams (fan clubs) breaking up and many of his fans even supporting the PMK, despite the well-known hostilities between him and the party’s founder leader, S Ramadoss.

According to reports, a worried Rajnikant is planning a massive fan club meeting after the completion of his ongoing shooting and he would use his earnings from it for the welfare of his fans in a bid to bring them under his sway again.

In spite of the actor’s wishes that his fans do not extend ‘‘open support’’ to any political party, many of his clubs spread across Madurai, Sivanganga, Tiruvarur, Tiruchirapalli, Perambalur, Nagapattinam, Nilgiri, Pudukottai and Thanjavur broke from the association and publicly announced support for the AIADMK.

On March 26, the office bearers of the fans’ association in these districts met at Karaikudi in Sivaganga district to announce support for the AIADMK.

‘‘At least 75 per cent of the fans have been canvassing for Amma. We cannot stop them. The superstar himself said they could support any candidate,’’ said S M Rafeeq, who heads the Rajnikant Fans’ Association in Madurai, the biggest in Tamil Nadu.

Much before the actor’s statement and the Karaikudi meeting, posters appeared on street walls, urging him to take a stand. ‘‘Aanai idu, allathu aalai vidu’’(Issue an order or leave us alone), they said, announcing that the fan clubs would be supporting the AIADMK.

jaya.menon@expressindia.com