Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) party chief coordinator Senthamizhan Seeman. (Photo | Debadatta Mallick, EPS)
TIRUCHY: In the run up to the elections, Kamal Haasan’s MNM and TTV Dhinakaran’s AMMK were billed as the alternative which voters would prefer. But Seeman’s Naam Thamizhar Katchi (NTK) proved political observers wrong and has come second runner-up in several constituencies, especially in urban areas.
For instance at Tiruvottriyur in Chennai, party chief Seeman secured the third place with over 48,000 votes behind AIADMK and DMK. Also, NTK put up a strong show in urban areas like Thiruverumbur, Tiruchy East, Tambaram, Sriperumbudur, Alandur, Avadi. In rural pockets the party secured sizeable number of votes in Thiruvaiyaru, Kallakurichi, Thiruvadanai, Kunnam, Jayankondam among others.
NTK’s performance is significant as pundits were of the view that the party’s pro-Tamil culture would gain traction in rural pockets, but its candidates bagged decent votes in urban constituencies. The penetration of internet and availability of smart phones endeared Seeman to youth who followed his fiery speeches on social media platforms, opine pundits.
