Chennai: Tamil superstar Rajinikanth announced his entry into politics this morning, ending months-long suspense which had kept his fans, observers, politicians and fellow film stars on tenterhooks.

He said that he was taking the plunge as politics and governance in Tamil Nadu had become so bad that the State has become a laughing stock. He said it was time to change the government and change the system.

Reacting to the announcement, one of his fans tweeted: “Politics Joins Rajini to Rock  Tamil Nadu,” while another one said: “Elections will contest  Rajinikanth.”

Speaking to his fans who trooped into the Raghavendra Marriage Hall in Chennai this morning, Rajinikanth stopped short of announcing a political party, saying only that he would float one at the “appropriate time.”

With the announcement, the ‘Thalaiva’ of Tamil cinema has stirred the political pot in Tamil Nadu, which has been going through a political vacuum since the death of AIADMK leader  J. Jayalalithaa last year.

“I did not have political ambitions when I was 45, so will I have it when I’m 68. I am not doing this for any post. I do not come for money or fame, as I have them enough. But the politics has become so bad that     rest of the world is laughing at us,” the actor said.