The superstar has dominated southern films for the past four decades. Photograph:( Twitter )
South Indian superstar Rajinikanth started his fan meet today in Chennai amid news of a probable political announcement. Expected by fans and fraternity, Rajinikanth has been at the centre of a long-expected political entry.
#Rajinikanth interacts with fans in Sri Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam in Chennai pic.twitter.com/gUNLeXlFTq
— ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2017
Starting his six-day fan outreach today that will end on December 31, New Year's Eve, the star said that he will make the decision of his political debut on the last day of the meet.
I am not new to politics. I got delayed.Entering is equal to victory. I will announce a decision on December 31: Rajinikanth pic.twitter.com/0WsH67ZLeS
— ANI (@ANI) December 26, 2017
"There is an expectation that he will spell out his stand on entering politics. He may do it or may not...only he knows...let no one speculate," a senior functionary of the All India Rajinikanth Fans Welfare Club told reporters.
The 67-year-old actor will meet some 1,000 fans across 18 districts in this outreach.
Rajinikanth's fan meets come after the result of by-polls at the RK Nagar constituency of former chief minister J Jayalalithaa, which has reinforced the sense of a political vacuum in Tamil Nadu's ruling party after her death.
The seat was bagged by TTV Dhinakaran, an AIADMK rebel and nephew of Jayalalithaa's closest aide VK Sasikala. Both were sidelined by the ruling party in a power struggle that started days after Jayalalithaa's death in December last year.
Dhinakaran's victory as an independent candidate has delivered a crushing setback to the ruling AIADMK led by Chief Minister E Palaniswami or EPS and his deputy O Panneerselvam or OPS.
The opposition DMK, which also contested RK Nagar, failed to make a mark either.
In the current state of politics, the possibility of Rajinikanth's entry into politics has been debated for about two decades.
