DMK sets stage for Kamal Haasan's Rajya Sabha role; AIADMK braces for tightrope
The DMK Wednesday announced its candidates for the June 19 Rajya Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu, allotting one seat to ally Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founded by actor-politician Kamal Haasan.
Set to clinch four of the six Rajya Sabha seats up for polls, the DMK renominated party MP P Wilson for a second term besides fielding two new candidates – former minister S R Sivalingam and writer Salma.
The DMK, led by Chief Minister M K Stalin, allotted the fourth seat to the MNM, paving the way for Haasan's entry into the Upper House. Later in the day, the MNM passed a resolution naming party chief Haasan as its candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls.
With the DMK's 133 MLAs and backing from its INDIA bloc allies – including the Congress (17 MLAs), CPI (2), CPM (2), and the VCK (4) – the ruling alliance has the numbers to secure four Rajya Sabha seats comfortably. Each winning candidate needs 34 votes, given that the state has a 234-member Assembly.
The DMK's move has put an end to speculation over whether its old ally MDMK chief Vaiko would be renominated to the Rajya Sabha.
A leading figure in Indian cinema, Haasan is widely renowned for his versatile performances in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Malayalam films. With a career spanning over six decades, he has won three National Awards. Beyond acting and filmmaking, Haasan has been a strong advocate for rationalism and governance reforms. In 2018, he founded the MNM, positioning himself as a voice for 'clean politics'.
The DMK had promised that it will send Haasan to the Rajya Sabha, when the MNM had joined the INDIA alliance in the state ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Rokkaya Malik, popularly known as Salma, is one of the major feminist voices in the state. Hailing from a conservative Muslim household in Thuvarankurichi, she defied social restrictions to write searing poetry and prose on womanhood, sexuality, and confinement. Her novel 'The Hours Past Midnight' garnered international acclaim. A DMK loyalist and former Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Board chairperson, Salma's nomination signalled the party's commitment to inclusivity and progressive Muslim women's representation.
Wilson, a senior advocate in the Supreme Court and Madras High Court, is a key legal brain of the DMK. He has represented the state in courts in crucial cases pertaining to federal rights, Centre-state relations and the Governor's 'overreach'. His renomination reaffirms his significance in the party.
Sivalingam is a senior DMK functionary from Salem, who is recognised for his longstanding service to the party in various roles.
With 62 MLAs, the principal Opposition AIADMK is expected to win the remaining two seats with support from its NDA allies including the BJP (4) and PMK (5).
The AIADMK is facing a dilemma over finalising its seats. The party's ally DMDK chief Premalatha Vijayakanth has claimed that a promise for a Rajya Sabha seat was made to her party during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. However, AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami or EPS has claimed that 'no such formal agreement existed with DMDK'.
The AIADMK's other two allies, BJP and PMK, seem to be staking their claims over the second seat. EPS may especially have to grapple with the BJP's expectation, which may seek a Rajya Sabha nomination for its leader K Annamalai, who recently stepped down from the state party chief's post just before it forged an alliance with the AIADMK for the 2026 Assembly polls.
While BJP sources said Annamalai is likely to be the party's nominee if they get a seat from their senior partner, a senior AIADMK leader and ex-minister said that 'Even if the EPS agrees to allot one seat to the BJP, he may not want Annamalai to get it.'
An RSS functionary said: 'If not this Rajya Sabha seat, what is next for Annamalai? The 2026 Assembly elections? But I believe he won't contest that either.'
He said Annamalai's prospects of being inducted into the BJP-led Union ministry may brighten if he enters the Upper House. 'Being a central minister or an MP is really significant. But being one of the 234 MLAs in the Assembly? And if he faces one more defeat in the Assembly polls, after having suffered losses in the 2021 Assembly and 2024 Lok Sabha polls, it could push Annamalai to the margins of Tamil politics,' he said.
In some past Rajya Sabha elections, the AIADMK was seen to have been 'generous' with its allies such as the PMK and the Tamil Maanila Congress even when they barely had any legislative presence. This enabled the PMK's Anbumani Ramadoss and Maanila Congress's G K Vasan to enter the Upper House. But this time, with fewer seats in hand, EPS may adopt a tougher stance, sources said.
The names doing the rounds for the AIADMK's Rajya Sabha poll nominees include senior leaders D Jayakumar, S Semmalai, Gokula Indira, and younger faces like J Jayavardhan and VVR Raj Satyen. Some party insiders are seeking representation for a leader from the state's southern districts, where the party has been losing ground. There is also a growing demand from a party section for giving a ticket to a member from the fishermen community on the ground that the party has not done it since 1990.
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