Despite losing its symbol, NTK looks to retain vote share

Despite losing its wellpublicised ‘sugarcane farmer’ symbol, Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) said it was determined to retain the “hardearned vote bank of 6.58%”, which it secured in the last Assembly election, even if it meant contesting on a new symbol.

NTK earlier unsuccessfully approached the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to Election Commission Of India (EC) to restore the symbol and has decided to approach the Supreme Court, hoping for relief. NTK chief coordinator Seeman had criticised the EC’s decision to allot the symbol to another party even before the election was announced. Many in the party view the decision as an attempt to lure the NTK voters towards the BJP, which hopes to become the third largest party in the State.

NTK’s treasurer R. Ravanan said the party would not choose to ally with bigger parties due to the nowfamous ‘sugarcane farmer’ symbol being allotted to the littleknown Karnatakabased Bharatiya Praja Aikyata Party. “There is no chance of us allying with anyone else. We are 100% sure about contesting alone,” he said. Other NTK leaders and cadre argued that if the party failed to win its case in the Supreme Court, the party’s “strong presence on social media and its young voter base” would make it possible to popularise a new symbol.

NTK spokesperson Idumbavanam Karthik said: “The farmers’ symbol is close to NTK’s political ideology, which is creating a Tamil Nadu with a selfreliant agrarian economy centred around farmer welfare. The symbol has been taken away from us. It is clear that the BJP wants to become the third largest party and wants the vote of those who don’t like the DMK and the AIADMK.”