Latest news with #Salma
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Happy to represent a larger community: Salma
The nomination of writer-cum-DMK spokesperson Salma aka A Rokkaiah as Rajya Sabha nominee has come as a shot in the arm for Trichy residents who already have three MPs to take up their cause in Delhi. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Apart from Trichy N Siva (RS), and Trichy Lok Sabha MP Durai Vaiko, Perambalur MP Arun Nehru also represents parts of the district. "Though my voice would be for the benefit of the entire state, I will surely work for my native district Trichy. I will convey the demands to the right people at the right occasions," Salma, 56, told TOI. Born as Rajathi Samsudeen in Thuvarankurichi in Marungapuri block, she hails from a conservative Muslim family, but became a writer in her early 20s penning books with progressive themes. Inspired by former DMK supremo M Karunanidhi, Salma joined the party in the early 2000s. She was elected chairperson of Ponnampatti town panchayat in 2001. She contested from Marungapuri assembly constituency in 2006,but lost by a margin of 2,532 votes. "I had a dream of representing and working for the people in an underdeveloped constituency in 2006. Unfortunately, it did not come true. I am grateful to receive another chance to work for a larger community of people," she said on Wednesday after being nominated. "Our taluk Marungapuri remains underdeveloped and lacks proper health, education, and transport infrastructure," reminds C Venkatesan, a teacher from Kalluppatti. S Arockiyam, a farmer from Vaiyampatti in Manapparai taluk, said, "Our taluk needs flyovers to improve road safety as a national highway passes through it. We hope our grievances will be conveyed better."
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
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.
The Print
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Print
Kamal Haasan set to enter Rajya Sabha with DMK's backing, party also names its own 3 candidates
Similarly, the terms of AIADMK member N. Chandrasegharan and Anbumani Ramadoss of the PMK, a former AIADMK ally, will also end around the same time. The Rajya Sabha terms of three DMK members—P. Wilson, M.M. Abdulla, and M. Shanmugam—as well as that of DMK ally and MDMK leader Vaiko, are set to end by July this year. Chennai: The ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has nominated three party members for the Rajya Sabha, and allocated one seat to actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan's Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM). With this support from the DMK, Kamal Haasan is set to enter the Rajya Sabha for the first time. Of the three incumbent Rajya Sabha members, only advocate P. Wilson, who is the legal face of DMK, was given a seat for the second time. Apart from Wilson, DMK has named the party's long time functionaries poet Salma and S.R. Sivalingam as nominees for the Rajya Sabha seat. Both are being nominated to Rajya Sabha for the first time. DMK's spokesperson and former Rajya Sabha MP T.K.S. Elangovan said that the seat allocated to MNM was in line with the agreement with Haasan at the time of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. 'Kamal's MNM has been in the DMK alliance since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, no seat was allocated to them during the Lok Sabha election. Still, he campaigned for DMK candidates across the state. Now he is being given the Rajya Sabha seat,' Elangovan said. A senior DMK leader told ThePrint that the seats were allocated, keeping the representation of communities in mind. 'While M.M. Abdulla, a Muslim by birth, was not given a second chance, poet Salma, who is also a Muslim, is being nominated to compensate for it. Similarly, Wilson, who is a DMK's go to man for legal fight against the Union government and Governor, belongs to Christian minority community. By this, we have given representation to Christians, Muslims, and women as well,' a senior DMK leader told ThePrint. On 26 May, the Election Commission of India announced that biennial elections for six Rajya Sabha seats will be held on 19 June, with counting scheduled for the same evening. The official notification will be issued on 2 June, and the last date for filing nominations is 9 June. Also read: Once a sewage dump, Chennai's Buckingham Canal is now home to thriving mangrove cluster The 3 nominees from DMK Salma: Poet Salma alias Rokaiya Malik is from a Muslim family and served as the president of Ponnampatti Panchayat in Trichy district. She unsuccessfully contested the 2006 election from Marungapuri constituency on behalf of DMK. She has also served as the Chairman of Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Board. Salma, renowned for her poetry and contributions to Tamil literature, has had her works translated into several languages worldwide, including Armenian. She is also a longtime member of the DMK. P. Wilson: The incumbent MP has been the member of Rajya Sabha since 2019 and served as the Additional Solicitor General of India and Additional Advocate General of Tamil Nadu. A senior advocate, Wilson has served as the Additional Solicitor General of India and the Additional Advocate General of Tamil Nadu. He notably successfully led a legal battle to establish the memorial of former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at Marina beach. S.R. Sivalingam: A longtime grassroots DMK worker from Salem district, he currently serves as the party's Salem East district secretary and was elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly in 1989 and 1996. (Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri) Also Read: How a father-son feud threatens to split PMK before 2026 Tamil Nadu elections
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
DMK picks Rajya Sabha nominees, keeps alliance promise to Kamal Haasan
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) Wednesday announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, staying true to its 2024 Lok Sabha poll pact by allocating one seat to the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) led by actor-politician Kamal Haasan. The DMK will field senior advocate P Wilson for a second term, former minister S R Sivalingam, and acclaimed poet and writer Salma. The official announcement said that one seat from the party's share would be 'allotted to Makkal Needhi Maiam,' signalling Haasan's expected entry into the Rajya Sabha. With 133 MLAs and strong backing from its alliance partners—including the Congress, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) — the DMK-led front has the numbers to secure four of the six seats falling vacant from Tamil Nadu in the June 19 election. Each winning candidate needs 34 votes in the 234-member Assembly. The DMK's decision ends speculation over whether Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (MDMK) Vaiko would be renominated. The party's move to elevate Salma adds symbolic heft to the list. Born Rokkaya Malik, Salma is a celebrated Tamil poet and novelist known for her unflinching voice on gender, sexuality, and the cloistered lives of women in conservative households. Writing first in secret, she rose to prominence with 'The Hours Past Midnight,' a novel translated into English that drew wide acclaim. A long-time fellow traveller of the DMK, she served earlier as chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Board. On the other side, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), with 62 MLAs, is expected to win two seats with support from the BJP (4 MLAs) and the Panneerselvam camp. The party is said to be considering candidates from Dalit and minority communities, while BJP leaders are reportedly lobbying for former state chief K Annamalai to be nominated. The counting of votes is scheduled for the evening of June 19, concluding a closely watched round of political manoeuvring in upper house calculus.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
As DMK allots 1 seat to Makkal Needhi Maiam, is Kamal Haasan's Rajya Sabha entry sealed?
Picture Credit: X NEW DELHI: DMK has on Wednesday announced its candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for 19 June 2025. The party will field three candidates, P Wilson, S R Sivalingam and poet Salma (Rokkaya Malik), while one seat will be allocated to the Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) as part of a poll alliance. In the Legislative Council member election scheduled to be held on June 19, 2025, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) will field candidates in four constituencies. Out of these four seats, three will have DMK candidates, and as per the existing agreement, one seat will be allotted to the Makkal Needhi Maiam party, the statement reads. The DMK candidates are: Mr. P. Wilson, B.L. Mr. S.R. Sivalingam Rokkaya Malik (also known as) Poet Salma This is hereby announced. Kamal Hassan set to enter Rajya Sabha? MNM leader and actor Kamal Haasan is set to enter the Rajya Sabha following a political understanding with the DMK. His party is expected to formalise his candidature soon, with MNM's central committee scheduled to meet this week for endorsement. The DMK-led alliance commands a strong majority in the 234-member Tamil Nadu legislature, holding 159 seats, making it likely to secure four seats. The main opposition, AIADMK, led by Edappadi K Palaniswami, with 62 MLAs, is expected to win two seats, boosted by its alliance with the BJP and support from the O Panneerselvam faction. AIADMK is reportedly planning to nominate candidates from Dalit and minority communities. Counting of votes will take place on the evening of 19 June, concluding the election process.
