It’s official, Kamal to enter Rajya Sabha; poet Salma also to enter RS as DMK MP
CHENNAI: Honouring its promise made during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the DMK on Wednesday announced its list of candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, confirming that Makkal Needhi Maiam founder and actor Kamal Haasan will enter Parliament later in June. The announcement comes as Haasan awaits the release of his big-budget film Thug Life, slated for early June.
On the day elections were announced, TNIE had reported that Kamal will be given the opportunity instead of giving a second term for MDMK leader Vaiko, DMK’s another ally whose tenure in RS is ending.
Moreover, as predicted by TNIE, incumbent DMK Rajya Sabha MP MM Abdullah and M Shanmugam were not given a second term while senior advocate P Wilson has been given a second term.
Interestingly, DMK’s list sprung a surprise by nominating renowned feminist writer and poet A. Rokkaiah Malik, well-known by her pen name Salma.
The other person nominated is SR Sivalingam, a senior DMK functionary from Salem who has previously served as MLA.
Though elections have been announced for six vacancies, with the strength of DMK and its allies, the party will be able to send four MPs. A release by the ruling party announced its three candidates and said that the fourth seat has been allotted to MNM.
Meanwhile, MNM’s executive and administrative committees met on Wednesday and unanimously decided to nominate its founder Kamal for the seat. The party also appealed to all the parties in the DMK-led alliance in Tamil Nadu to extend their support for Kamal.
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