DMK Likely to Nominate Kamal Haasan for Rajya Sabha Seat
Tamil superstar-turned-politician Kamal Haasan is likely to be nominated for a Rajya Sabha seat by the DMK. This speculation gained momentum after Tamil Nadu Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, P.K. Sekar Babu, met Haasan at his residence on Wednesday.
Chennai: Tamil superstar-turned-politician Kamal Haasan is likely to be nominated for a Rajya Sabha seat by the DMK. This speculation gained momentum after Tamil Nadu Minister for Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments, P.K. Sekar Babu, met Haasan at his residence on Wednesday.
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Political Background and Alliance with DMK
Kamal Haasan, who founded the political party Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), aligned himself with the INDIA bloc for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. During the campaign, he actively supported the DMK-led front in Tamil Nadu. The alliance secured a clean sweep, winning all 39 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
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DMK sources have revealed that Chief Minister and party chief M.K. Stalin had promised Haasan a Rajya Sabha seat in exchange for his support during the general elections. With six Rajya Sabha seats set to become vacant in June 2025, P.K. Sekar Babu reportedly met Haasan to relay CM Stalin’s assurance of his nomination.
MNM’s Stance on the Nomination
MNM spokesperson and renowned Tamil filmmaker Murali Appas confirmed that the party is set to receive a Rajya Sabha seat. However, he clarified that Kamal Haasan would make the final decision on the candidate after consulting with party office-bearers. While he acknowledged the meeting between Sekar Babu and Haasan, further details were not disclosed.
Kamal Haasan’s Political Journey
Kamal Haasan founded Makkal Needhi Maiam in Madurai on February 21, 2018, with the vision of advocating for transparency, governance reforms, and regional cooperation. The party’s flag, featuring six interlocked hands, symbolizes unity among the southern states of India (five states and one union territory).
In the 2019 general elections, MNM secured a 3.72 percent vote share in the constituencies it contested, performing well in urban centres like Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai. However, the party’s performance in rural constituencies was poor, with all its candidates losing their deposits.
MNM contested the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections independently but failed to secure any seats. Kamal Haasan himself lost the Coimbatore South constituency to BJP’s Vanathi Srinivasan by a margin of 1,728 votes.
A significant setback for the party came in the 2022 urban local body elections, where MNM contested 140 seats but failed to win a single seat.
Kamal Haasan’s Likely Entry into Rajya Sabha
In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Kamal Haasan supported the INDIA bloc and campaigned for the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu. As part of the political understanding, the DMK agreed to grant one Rajya Sabha seat to MNM in 2025. With the recent meeting between Kamal Haasan and P.K. Sekar Babu, it now appears likely that the superstar-turned-politician will soon enter Parliament’s Upper House.
