Tamil-nationalist party NTK emerges as 'third force' in terms of vote share in Tamil Nadu

Though the 2021 polls to elect the 16th Tamil Nadu Assembly remained a bipolar contest to a large extent, one party that caught everyone's attention is the Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK) that espouses Tamil nationalism.

The NTK bagged nearly 7% of the total polled votes, emerging as the third-largest party in terms of vote share.

Though NTK led by Seeman, actor-turned-politician known for his fiery oratorical skills, failed to win any seats, the party garnered 6.7% of the total polled votes, registering an impressive performance – the party's consistency in facing the polls without any alliance could have also helped.

The current figure is not just a 3% increase from its 3.8% performance in 2019 polls but is higher than the percentage scored by other “change agents” Makkal Needhi Maiam and Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) together with this election.

The best performer, no doubt, was Seeman who bagged 48,597 votes which are 24.3% of the total votes polled in the Thiruvottiyur constituency on the outskirts of Chennai. Besides the party chief, 14 NTK candidates have polled more than 10% of the total votes mostly in rural constituencies in southern Tamil Nadu and Kilvelur, and Tiruvarur in the Cauvery Delta region.

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In Thoothukudi, the party registered its second-best performance with NTK candidate V Velraj securing 16.42% of the total polled votes. In the same district, the party secured 12.6% votes in Ottapidaram. In Chennai, Chengalpattu, and Tiruvallur, the party scored 10% votes in four constituencies – Poonamalle, Avadi, Dr R K Nagar, and Shozhinganallur.

In 159 constituencies, NTK candidates have scored more than 5% votes, and the party secured the third position in several constituencies across the state. The NTK's growth in terms of vote share was not unexpected as the party was clearly visible in the hinterland than any other new parties in the run-up to the polls.

The party's performance is viewed with caution as NTK is arguably the most controversial political party in Tamil Nadu for its extreme views on several issues. From eulogising Velupillai Prabhakaran, slain chief of the now-defunct LTTE and an accused in the eyes of the Indian law for his involvement in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, to advocating political power “only for native Tamils” to an “alternative economy” -- some of the polices are either impractical or absurd, political observers said.

Prof Ramu Manivannan, Head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras, told DH that the NTK is not yet an alternative to the Dravidian majors as the party does not have any agenda.

Read: Assembly election 2021: DMK almost swept entire Tamil Nadu; western region went with AIADMK

“NTK is just a window that allows one to express his/her disapproval of either of the Dravidian parties. A vote to NTK does not mean one subscribes to its policies. Moreover, NTK does not have an agenda, and there is no transparency in the party,” Prof Manivannan said.

Political observer T N Raghu feels the NTK's growth is nothing to cheer about and says the party cannot hope to play an important role in Tamil Nadu till the time the state's politics remains bipolar.

“Only when the AIADMK suffers a meltdown, space would open up for other parties. The percentage of votes scored by Seeman's NTK is good, but it has not won any seats. Winning seats is important in the first-past-the-post electoral system, and it matters more than the vote percentage,” Raghu said.