Chennai, Feb 13 (IANS) The Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), founded by the late Tamil superstar Vijayakanth, is likely to receive a Rajya Sabha nomination.
The party is likely to field late Vijayakant’s son Vijay Prabhakaran as the DMDK nominee.
DMDK general secretary and Vijayakanth’s widow, Premalatha, informed the media that the AIADMK had promised the party a Rajya Sabha seat during the discussions leading up to the 2024 Lok Sabha election alliance.
The party fielded Vijay Prabhakaran from the Virudhunagar constituency, however, he lost to Congress leader and sitting MP Manickam Tagore by a narrow margin of 4,379 votes.
In addition to Virudhunagar, the DMDK contested from Tiruvallur (SC), Central Chennai, Cuddalore, and Thanjavur Lok Sabha constituencies.
Sources within the DMDK confirmed that the AIADMK had assured the party a Rajya Sabha seat during the alliance negotiations in 2024.
The DMDK has also reached out to the BJP, seeking its support for the party’s candidate in the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections.
The DMDK has a significant electoral history. In the 2011 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the party won 29 out of the 40 seats it contested, becoming the main Opposition party.
This victory made DMDK the second-largest party in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, ahead of the DMK, and Vijayakanth became Leader of the Opposition.
Meanwhile, Tamil superstar and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) President Kamal Haasan is also expected to receive a Rajya Sabha nomination from the DMK.
IANS had earlier reported that DMK is likely to honour its promise to Kamal Haasan, made during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, for his extensive campaigning and support for the INDIA bloc.
MNM spokesperson and renowned Tamil film-maker Murali Appas confirmed that the party is set to receive a Rajya Sabha seat. However, he noted that Kamal Haasan would decide on the candidate after consulting with party office bearers.
Founded by Kamal Haasan on February 21, 2018, in Madurai, MNM advocates for transparency, governance reforms, and regional cooperation. Its party flag, featuring six interlocked hands, symbolises unity among the southern states of India (five states and one Union Territory).
In the 2019 general elections, MNM secured a 3.72 per cent vote share, performing well in urban centres such as Chennai, Coimbatore, and Madurai, where it received over one lakh votes in some constituencies.
However, the party performed poorly in rural areas, with all its candidates losing their deposits.
In the 2021 Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, MNM contested independently but failed to win any seats.
Kamal Haasan himself lost the Coimbatore South constituency to BJP’s Vanathi Srinivasan by a margin of 1,728 votes.
—IANS
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