Veteran actor and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan is set to begin a new political innings as a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament, with the backing of Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). The development is expected to be formalized on Friday when Haasan meets Chief Minister and DMK chief MK Stalin at the party’s headquarters in Chennai.
Kamal Haasan will be offered one of the six Rajya Sabha seats falling vacant from Tamil Nadu next month, as part of a political understanding between the MNM and the DMK.
Rajya Sabha Nomination Part of MNM-DMK Deal
The MNM and DMK have been allies since the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where the DMK-led INDIA bloc secured all 39 parliamentary seats in the state. As part of the arrangement, the MNM, which did not contest any seat, supported DMK candidates across Tamil Nadu.
In return, Kamal Haasan was promised a Rajya Sabha seat, DMK insiders revealed. This offer appears to be coming to fruition now, just ahead of the June 19 elections to the Upper House. The DMK is expected to win at least three of the six Rajya Sabha seats, based on its strength in the state assembly.
If elected, Kamal Haasan will be the first MNM leader to enter Parliament, marking a milestone for the party founded in 2018 on a platform of transparency, governance reform, and anti-corruption policies. Although the MNM has not won any seats in previous elections, it secured 3.7% of the vote share in the 2019 Lok Sabha election, and 2.62% in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls, where it contested 202 of the 234 seats.
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Haasan’s potential entry into the Rajya Sabha could also be a strategic asset for the DMK-led alliance ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, as he brings with him not just political capital but star power and influence among urban voters and the youth.
The DMK’s Rajya Sabha Equation
Of the six Rajya Sabha seats set to be vacated the DMK currently holds three; one is held by its rival AIADMK while two are held by regional allies Anbumani Ramadoss (PMK) and Vaiko (MDMK)
With its current legislative strength, the DMK is comfortably placed to allocate one seat to an ally, and Kamal Haasan’s nomination seems to be the natural political outcome of their ongoing partnership.
From Madurai to Parliament: The MNM’s Evolution
Launched in Madurai in 2018, Kamal Haasan’s MNM has sought to project itself as a credible alternative to traditional Dravidian parties. Though it hasn’t tasted electoral success, its policy-driven campaigns and focus on issues such as universal basic income for women, clean governance, and regional cooperation have found some resonance, particularly in urban Tamil Nadu.
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Notably, the DMK government’s rollout of a ₹1,000 monthly financial assistance scheme for women was originally a pre-poll promise made by the MNM, showing the party’s policy influence on the ruling coalition.
