RS polls: Kamal Haasan, five others from Tamil Nadu set to be elected unopposed

Chennai: Actor-politician Kamal Haasan and five others, including three nominees of the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu, are all set to be elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha, with their nominations being accepted on Tuesday.

A release from the office of the Returning Officer/Additional Secretary, Legislative Assembly Secretariat, said the nominations of Makkal Neethi Maiam founder Haasan, DMK nominees P Wilson, SR Sivalingam and Rajathi and IS Inbadurai and M Dhanapal (both AIADMK), were taken up for scrutiny on Tuesday.

After scrutiny, they have been declared as approved, the release said.

The nominations of seven independent candidates were rejected.

With the nomination of these candidates being accepted, they are now set to be elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha.

Wilson will be representing the state for a successive term while this would be Haasan's maiden innings in a House of representatives.

He had unsuccessfully contested the 2021 Assembly polls in Coimbatore South and lost to BJP Mahila Morcha chief Vanathi Srinivasan.

He joined the DMK-led bloc last year.

As an ally of the DMK, Haasan-led MNM was allotted a Rajya Sabha seat as per an understanding reached between the two parties ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Haasan campaigned for the DMK alliance in last year's Parliamentary election.

Six Rajya Sabha members from Tamil Nadu, including DMK ally MDMK's top leader Vaiko and PMK's Anbumani Ramadoss are set to retire on July 24, 2025 and the Election Commission had last month announced elections to the Upper House from Tamil Nadu.