CHENNAI: Seat-sharing talks within Tamil Nadu’s two major alliances ahead of the Assembly polls once again brought to the fore concerns over smaller parties being asked to contest on the symbols of dominant alliance partners.
Leaders from parties such as the MDMK, VCK and Left outfits in the DMK-led alliance have, at various points, expressed dissatisfaction with the trend, particularly when such decisions are made against the wishes of the parties concerned. The argument pushed in favour of such a move is that the winnability increases due to familiarity of the symbols.
The key concern from the minor allies, however, has been that such victories did not help them to charter their own growth. On the other hand, these victories helped the parties leading their alliances as the elected MLAs on paper remained MLAs of those parties in the Assembly.
A look at past Assembly elections shows that the practice is not new and dates back at least to 1967. However, observers note a shift in how it is implemented. Earlier, smaller parties often voluntarily chose to contest on the symbols of larger allies. Now, major parties are increasingly making it a condition during alliance talks.
In the upcoming 2026 polls, as many as 15 smaller parties are contesting a total of 24 seats using the symbols of their alliance partners. Of these, seven parties are contesting 12 seats on the DMK’s Rising Sun symbol, five parties are contesting six seats on the AIADMK’s Two Leaves symbol, and three parties are contesting six seats on the BJP’s Lotus symbol.
Political analyst Tharasu Shyam told TNIE that in 1967, Naam Tamilar Katchi (not the present NTK led by Seeman), led by SP Aditanar, had the Rooster symbol and Tamilarasu Kazhagam, led by MP Sivagnanam, had its own symbol. However, both leaders contested in the DMK’s Rising Sun symbol.
He said there are two key advantages for major parties: their cadre find it easier to campaign under familiar symbols, and the parties retain greater control over MLAs elected in such arrangements.
Senior journalist T Sigamani said the practice did not pose major issues until the Anti-Defection Law came into force in 1985, which made switching party affiliations a reason for disqualification of MLAs. Both analysts noted that the current trend of major parties insisting on such arrangements gained momentum in the 2000s. In the 2001 elections, 17 candidates from smaller parties contested on the Rising Sun symbol in the DMK-led alliance. The trend continued in the 2006 and 2011 elections as well.
In 2016, the AIADMK adopted an unprecedented approach by fielding candidates in all 234 constituencies under the Two Leaves symbol, including those from its allies. It allotted seven seats to six allies, all of whom contested using the AIADMK’s symbol.
Sigamani said it is true that some smaller parties need the help of their major partners to win polls. However, the latter often failed to acknowledge the crucial role played by such smaller parties in ensuring wins.
“The role of the smaller parties is essential in a tight contest. However, the major parties often do not recognise this in public and in fact argue that the benefit is only for minor allies,” he added.
On the challenges faced by smaller parties, Shyam suggested that the Election Commission of India (ECI) should step in. He pointed out that contesting under another party’s symbol could hinder smaller parties from securing official recognition and may even risk cancellation of their registration.
He argued that symbol usage alone should not be a criterion to assess whether a party is active or not. When asked whether the practice amounts to misleading voters, a former Chief Electoral Officer, who did not wish to be named, said it need not be seen that way.
“The people of the respective constituencies know very well that the candidate does not belong to the party under whose symbol they are contesting. This is not cheating, but a convenient subterfuge for the political parties.”
In September 2019, the Madras High Court admitted a public interest litigation seeking to declare invalid the acceptance of nomination forms of candidates who contested under the DMK and AIADMK symbols in the Lok Sabha polls despite not belonging to those parties.
However, the candidates submitted affidavits stating they had formally joined the respective parties before contesting, following which the court ruled in their favour.