Chennai, Mar 12( IANS): Tamil actor-turned-politician Sharath Kumar has announced the merger of his political party -- the All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi (AISMK) -- with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Sharath Kumar said that his party is merging with the BJP for a nationalistic cause.

Earlier in the day, Sharath Kumar told mediapersons that the BJP would perform extremely well in the upcoming general elections, adding that Tamil Nadu would witness a tough three-pronged contest this time.

A popular actor in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada movies, Sharath Kumar is a former Rajya Sabha member who also served as a legislator from the Tenkasi Assembly seat.

After aligning with both the DMK and the AIADMK in the past, Sharath Kumar is now part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

With the merger of AISMK with the BJP, the actor-politician is likely to get a plum post in the NDA now.

According to sources, Sharath Kumar is likely to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Tirunelveli.