Kamal Haasan in Parliament soon? DMK allots a Rajya Sabha seat to actor's Makkal Needhi Maiam

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on Wednesday announced its candidates for the upcoming June 19 biennial Rajya Sabha polls, with one allocated to actor Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam.

The Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK on Wednesday announced that it would contest 4 out of the 6 seats. Additionally, the party has re-nominated its incumbent member in the Upper House, senior advocate P Wilson with Salem-based leader SR Sivalingam and Ruqayya Malik alias Kavignar Salma, a poet, writer and party office-bearer.

The Election Commission on Monday announced that it is conducting polls for eight Rajya Sabha seats — two from Assam and six from Tamil Nadu. These seats are going to be vacant due to the retirement of members. Six members from Tamil Nadu are going to retire in July whereas the remaining two from Assam will complete their tenures next month.


Three members out of six from Tamil Nadu belong to the DMK whereas one each belongs to AIADMK, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and MDMK. Parties’ current strength in the state assembly indicates that either DMK may improve its tally from three to four or its alliance partner Congress may get one seat from Tamil Nadu, improving UPA’s tally in Upper House.

Counting of votes will take place on the evening of 19 June, concluding the election process.

Hassan formed MNM in 2018 but faced defeats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and 2021 Assembly polls in Tamil Nadu. Later, MNM extended support to the ruling DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance candidate during the by-polls in Erode. Also, Hassan was seen alongside Congress MP Rahul Gandhi embarking on his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra when it reached Tamil Nadu earlier in December 2022.