Seeman rules out alliances for 2026 Assembly elections

Naam Tamilar Katchi leader Seeman announces independent contest in 2026 elections, criticizes major parties for silence on Tamil issues.

Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) leader Seeman on Sunday said in Coimbatore that the party would enter no alliance for the 2026 Assembly elections and would contest independently in all 234 constituencies.

He was addressing a public meeting organised to mark Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day on May 18.

The NTK would field 117 women and 117 men, all young candidates, he said, adding that the party had secured recognition in the State solely through the support of the Tamil people, without relying on money or caste-based mobilisation.

Referring to the final stages of the civil war in Sri Lanka, he criticised the then Congress-led Union government for not intervening and accused the DMK, which was in power in Tamil Nadu at that time, of failing to act. He referred to the Congress as an “enemy” and the DMK a “traitor,” and also criticised the AIADMK and BJP for remaining silent on the issue.

He urged voters not to support parties that, according to him, had failed to acknowledge May 18 or issue statements on the events in Sri Lanka. Such parties viewed people only as vote banks and not as individuals, he alleged.

“Even if we do not win, we continue to stand alone and create pressure on other parties due to our consistent increase in vote share,” he said.

Mr. Seeman also raised concerns about the growing number of Hindi-speaking people in the western districts of Tamil Nadu. He said that within a decade, this trend could threaten the linguistic and cultural identity of Tamils in the region.