Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan is set to make his parliamentary debut, marking a significant moment in his political journey. The MK Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu has announced his name as one of the four candidates for the Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for June 19.
Biennial elections will be held for eight vacant Rajya Sabha seats, including six in Tamil Nadu and two in Assam. Elections for the six Rajya Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu are being held as the term of Anbumani Ramadoss (Pattali Makkal Katchi), N. Chandrasekaran (AIADMK), M. Shanmugam (DMK), P. Wilson (DMK), M. Mohammed Abdullah (DMK) and Vaiko (MDMK) is ending on July 24.
Veteran Indian actor, filmmaker and politician Kamal Haasan entered politics with the launch of his party, Makkal Nidhi Mayyam (MNM) on February 21, 2018, in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. In 2024, the DMK assured Kamal Haasan a seat in the Rajya Sabha, after his party, Makkal Needhi Maiam, decided not to contest the Lok Sabha elections and instead support the DMK-led All India Alliance in the state.
Apart from Kamal Haasan, the party has also nominated senior advocate P. Wilson, former Union Minister S.R. Sivalingam, and renowned Tamil poet and writer Rokaiya Malik as its candidates for the election.
P. Wilson is an incumbent Rajya Sabha MP and a leading lawyer of the Supreme Court of India. He is widely known 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 senior DMK leader and has previously served as Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare. His nomination reflects the party’s effort to strike a balance between legal expertise and administrative experience in the Upper House.
Rokeya Malik, also known as Kavignaar Salma, is a renowned voice in contemporary Tamil literature, known for her poems and novels that explore themes of gender, identity and social justice. She is a recipient of several literary awards; her inclusion in the list reflects the DMK’s commitment to cultural representation and women’s empowerment.
Meanwhile, Haasan has sparked controversy with his remark that Kannada ‘was born out of Tamil,’ triggering sharp criticism from politicians and the public in Karnataka. The BJP and pro-Kannada groups have condemned his statement and are demanding an unconditional apology from him.