Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Sunday announced that he will not be contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, NDTV reported. Haasan is the chief of the Makkal Needhi Maiam party in Tamil Nadu.

“All candidates are my faces,” he said. “I am proud being the chariot puller than being the chariot.” Haasan said he will not contest the Lok Sabha polls nor the bye-elections to 18 Assembly seats in the state. “I have a lot of work to do,” PTI quoted him as saying. “I will work towards the success of my candidates.”

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His party released its final list of 19 candidates for the Lok Sabha polls and the bye-elections to the 18 Assembly seats at an event in Coimbatore. Last week, the party had released its first list of 21 candidates for Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu.

Haasan said he was not named in the list of candidates as there were a large number of nominations in his name from almost all constituencies, according to PTI. Haasan told India Today in an interview that he wanted his party’s foundation to be strong. “That is why we want to be present in the Parliament to voice Tamil sentiments,” he said. “Nearly after 50 years we will have a proper voice that will resonate in the Parliament and it will be my army of gentlemen.”

The party also released its manifesto on Sunday, promising 50 lakh jobs, equal pay for women and “100% profit” for farmers, clean drinking water, eradication of poverty, ensuring a slum-free Tamil Nadu, uniting the Tamil diaspora and safeguarding human resource rights for Tamil workforce, reported The Indian Express.

Last month, Haasan had criticised actor Rajinikanth who announced he would not be contesting the Lok Sabha elections. “You were thumping your thighs yesterday, why were you thumping? Just for sound?” Haasan had asked referring to Rajinikanth’s statement, according to The News Minute.