Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) chief coordinator Seeman has set a target of polling 1 crore votes in the 2024 Lok Sabha election and tripling the party’s vote share from the 2021 Assembly election figure for the coordinators and heads of the various wings.
Sources in the party said that at an internal meeting held here on Saturday, he urged the office-bearers to “push on” and think about winning seats in 2024.
Marked improvement
The NTK, which has been contesting elections alone, polled just over 30 lakh votes and secured a vote share of 6.58% in the 2021 Assembly election, a marked improvement from 3.9% (of the total valid votes) in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
According to an office-bearer who attended the meeting, Mr. Seeman wanted the NTK to emerge as the “biggest political party” in Tamil Nadu. “Our leader told us that we have been a party that gained the confidence of people so far. Now, it is time to win,” said the source. Mr. Seeman is expected to put new functionaries in charge of the Lok Sabha constituencies.
While the importance of the Lok Sabha election for the party and the nation was not lost on him, Mr. Seeman stood firm on contesting the election alone. Several political party leaders have been critical of Mr. Seeman’s resolve to contest elections without an alliance and being critical of both Dravidian parties and the national parties such as the BJP and the Congress. , which are likely to form two main formations in the next Lok Sabha.
“Mr. Seeman was critical of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra [and its relevance] and of the BJP. He was firm that he would contest alone in 2024, too, saying that forming an alliance would be the easiest thing, but he would never compromise on ideology,” according to a NTK office-bearer.
At the meeting, Mr. Seeman also underscored the need for the NTK to emerge as the Opposition party that would speak for people unhappy with the DMK government.
‘Extended honeymoon’
“Our leader told us that the DMK had enjoyed an extended honeymoon period since the election and several sections of society, who advocated for a change and voted the party to power, have fallen quiet, and the NTK is being seen as a reliable alternative. He said we should inspire people to repose trust in us,” said an office-bearer. Another source said Mr. Seeman felt that sections that were earlier critical of the party were supporting it. “He said we should be worthy of that support,” said the source.
