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Hassan, who was elected unopposed by the DMK-led bloc in the Rajya Sabha in June, delivered his oath in Tamil at the Upper House of the Parliament today.
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan after his swearing-in at the Rajya Sabha. (PTI)
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan marked his Parliament debut by taking oath as Rajya Sabha MP in Tamil on Friday, on the fifth day of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament.
Hassan, who was elected unopposed by the DMK-led bloc in the Rajya Sabha in June, delivered his oath in Tamil to loud desk thumping by fellow parliamentarians. He also greeted Deputy Rajya Sabha Chairman Harivansh after his swearing-in.
“I am proud and honoured,” he said ahead of his swearing-in after arriving at the parliament complex. “I’m going to swear-in and register my name. As an Indian, I will do my duty.”
Hassan’s party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), joined the DMK-led bloc ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The alliance had assured him a seat in the Upper House in exchange for MNM’s support in the Lok Sabha elections.
He had filed his nomination papers on June 6 at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat, accompanied by Chief Minister MK Stalin, Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin, and senior leaders from alliance partners, including VCK’s Thol. Thirumavalavan, MDMK’s Vaiko, and Tamil Nadu Congress chief Selvaperunthagai.
The ‘Thug Life’ actor’s entry into the Rajya Sabha marks a milestone in his political career as he has been given a legislative role for the first time. In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, a candidate requires a minimum of 34 votes to win a seat in the Rajya Sabha.
With 158 MLAs from the DMK-led INDIA bloc (DMK-133, Congress-17, VCK-4, CPI-2, CPM-2), the alliance was comfortably positioned to secure four seats. On June 12, Kamal Haasan, president of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), and five others were elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Tamil Nadu.
Hassan’s MNM did not contest the Lok Sabha elections and extended full support to the DMK-led alliance.
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
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