Another actor-led party enters politics

Chennai: Tamil Nadu has got yet another political outfit headed by an actor, Sarath Kumar, and he hopes to take over power in the sprawling southern state by 2011.

Announcing its name on Friday, the two-term former MP said his party would be known as AISMK, short in Tamil for All India Equality People's Party.

This is the second party in the last two years set up by an actor. In March 2006, actor Vijaykanth formed the DMDK.

Sarath Kumar, a leader of the Nadar community, said at the naming ceremony of his outfit that his party would herald "clean, corruption-free and transparent politics" in Tamil Nadu.

White star

The party's flag is red and yellow, denoting "revolution and the auspiciousness", he said. It has a white star in the red half of the flag. "Our party must come to power by 2011," Sarath Kumar told his jubilant followers.

The actor was nominated twice as Rajya Sabha member. He joined the AIADMK in March 2006, ahead of the assembly polls but was not given a state seat to contest. He left the AIADMK soon after the elections.

Sarath Kumar has never been in electoral politics, unlike AIADMK leader J. Jayalalitha, a former actor herself.

After popular actor M.G. Ramachandran, only Jayalalitha among the film community in Tamil Nadu has remained successful in electoral politics.

The All India Forward Block has actor Karthik as its state president.