Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan filed his nomination for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections on Friday, June 6, at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat in Chennai. He was accompanied by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
The move comes after the DMK formally allotted one Rajya Sabha seat to MNM as part of their seat-sharing agreement. Haasan had already been announced as the nominee. Key leaders from the DMK-led INDIA alliance—including VCK’s Thol. Thirumavalavan, MDMK’s Vaiko, and Tamil Nadu Congress chief K. Selvaperundagai—were also present during the nomination process.
The Tamil Nadu Assembly has 234 members, and a candidate requires 34 votes to secure a Rajya Sabha seat. With a combined strength of 158 MLAs—133 from DMK, 17 from Congress, 4 from VCK, 2 from CPI, and 2 from CPM—the INDIA bloc is well-positioned to win four of the six seats up for election on June 19.
Apart from Haasan, the DMK has fielded poet and writer Salma, sitting MP and advocate P. Wilson, and S.R. Sivalingam as its other candidates.
Kamal Haasan launched MNM in 2018 with a vision to offer a new political alternative in Tamil Nadu. While the party secured 2.62% of the vote in the 2021 Assembly elections, it did not contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Instead, it extended support to the DMK-led INDIA alliance, which, in turn, assured MNM a seat in the Rajya Sabha.
Incidentally, Haasan’s latest film Thug Life, directed by Mani Ratnam, was released on June 5—marking their first collaboration in nearly four decades. The film’s release closely coincides with Haasan’s return to active political engagement.
