New Delhi, July 26 Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan and three others backed by the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) alliance took oath as Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu on Friday, marking a new phase in the state’s representation in the Upper House of Parliament.
Haasan, founder of the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party, was elected with the support of the DMK, which allotted one Rajya Sabha seat to its ally. The 69-year-old veteran actor said he was “very proud and honoured” after taking oath in Tamil, along with fellow MPs P. Wilson, Rajathi alias Salma, and S.R. Sivalingam.
Apart from Wilson, who is serving a second term, the others are first-time members in the Rajya Sabha. Wilson, a senior advocate and former Additional Advocate General, retained his seat as part of the DMK’s nominees.
The oath-taking follows the unopposed election of six members from Tamil Nadu to the Rajya Sabha on June 12, including AIADMK nominees I.S. Inbadurai and M. Dhanapal.
The new lawmakers replace outgoing members Vaiko (MDMK), Anbumani Ramadoss (PMK), M. Mohamed Abdulla, and M. Shanmugam (both DMK), and N. Chandrasegharan (AIADMK). Vaiko, who completed four Rajya Sabha terms and one Lok Sabha term, was praised for his decades-long advocacy for Tamil rights.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin congratulated the newly elected MPs in a post on social media platform X, invoking DMK founder C.N. Annadurai’s legacy: “I belong to the Dravidian stock.” Stalin hailed the outgoing MPs for upholding Tamil Nadu’s rights and values in Parliament.
He described Vaiko as the “Tiger of Parliament” and a pillar of the Dravidian movement. He commended Shanmugam for voicing the concerns of the working class and his role in the Labour Progressive Federation, and Abdulla for advocating nationalism and religious harmony. Stalin also praised Wilson for defending social justice and the rights of the oppressed through legal advocacy.
The swearing-in underscores the DMK-led alliance’s continued dominance in Tamil Nadu politics and its efforts to strengthen representation at the national level.
