Actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) president Kamal Haasan officially filed his nomination for the Rajya Sabha elections on June 6, 2025, at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat in Chennai.
He was joined by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, and other leaders from DMK’s alliance — including VCK’s Thirumavalavan, MDMK’s Vaiko, and Congress leader K. Selvaperundagai.
Why is Kamal Haasan contesting?
The DMK, as part of its alliance with MNM, has offered one Rajya Sabha seat to Kamal Haasan. This is in return for MNM supporting the DMK-led INDIA bloc during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, instead of contesting on its own.
Kamal Haasan launched his party in 2018 and MNM secured 2.62% votes in the 2021 State Assembly elections.
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Rajya Sabha Election Details:
In the 234-seat Tamil Nadu Assembly, a candidate needs at least 34 votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat. The INDIA bloc, led by DMK, has 158 MLAs (DMK: 133, Congress: 17, VCK: 4, CPI: 2, CPM: 2) — enough to comfortably win four seats.
The DMK has already named three candidates for the Rajya Sabha:
- Poet Salma
- Advocate and current MP P. Wilson
- S.R. Sivalingam
Kamal Haasan is the fourth candidate, representing the MNM with DMK’s support.
On the Film Front:
Just a day before filing his nomination, Kamal Haasan’s new film “Thug Life” was released on June 5 with much excitement. The movie is directed by Mani Ratnam, marking their first collaboration in 38 years.
