DMK allots one Rajya Sabha seat to Kamal Haasan's party, names 3 candidates

Chennai: Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK on Wednesday announced that it would contest 4 out of the 6 seats from the state for the June 19 biennial Rajya Sabha polls and allotted one Upper House seat to an ally, actor-politician Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam.

The Dravidian party re-nominated its incumbent member in the Upper House, senior advocate P Wilson and also named 2 others; the party's Salem-based leader, SR Sivalingam and Ruqayya Malik alias Kavignar Salma, a poet, writer and party office-bearer.

Chief Minister M K Stalin, also the president of the ruling DMK, in a party release here, said that the allocation of one seat to Haasan's party is in keeping with an electoral pact with MNM ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

On July 24, 2025, six RS members from Tamil Nadu will retire it including PMK's Anbumani Ramadoss and MDMK top leader Vaiko. Out of the 6 seats, based on its strength and that of its allies in the State Assembly, DMK could easily win 4 seats, and the main opposition AIADMK could win 2 seats, with support from allies including the BJP.