Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK on Tuesday announced the name of actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan as one of the four candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled to be held on June 19. The announcement was made by the Chief Minister and DMK Chief, M.K. Stalin.
Of the four Rajya Sabha seats up for election from Tamil Nadu, the DMK will contest three, while the fourth seat has been allocated to the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) as part of an existing electoral understanding between the two parties.
MNM founder-president and actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan has been nominated as the party’s candidate for the Rajya Sabha.
DMK’s other 3 RS candidates
The DMK candidates announced for the three seats are senior advocate P. Wilson, former Union Minister S.R. Sivalingam, and renowned Tamil poet and writer Rokaiya Malik, popularly known by her pen name, Kavignar Salma.
P. Wilson, who holds a B.Sc. and B.L. degree, is a sitting Rajya Sabha MP and a prominent lawyer at the Supreme Court of India. He is widely recognised for representing the state in several high-profile legal battles and is a trusted legal voice within the DMK leadership.
S.R. Sivalingam is a veteran leader from the DMK and has previously served as a Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. His nomination reflects the party’s effort to balance legal expertise with administrative experience in the upper house.
Rokiaya Malik, alias Kavignar Salma, a well-known voice in contemporary Tamil literature, is celebrated for her poetry and novels that explore themes of gender, identity, and social justice. A recipient of several literary awards, her inclusion in the list reflects the DMK’s commitment to cultural representation and women’s empowerment.
DMK’s alliance with Kamal Haasan’s MNM
The DMK’s decision to allot a seat to the MNM is being seen as a strategic move to strengthen the alliance and broaden its influence at the national level.
With this development, Kamal Haasan is set to make his parliamentary debut, marking a significant moment in his political journey.
The Rajya Sabha elections are expected to be a formality, as the ruling coalition has the necessary strength in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly to ensure the victory of all four nominees.
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