CHENNAI: As Tamil Nadu’s main contenders – the DMK, ADMK and actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam – race to outdo each other with election promises ranging from refrigerators to Rs 8,000 appliance coupons for women and six free LPG cylinders a year, one player in the field has picked up a different script.Seeman, chief coordinator of the Nam Tamilar Katchi (NTK), dismissed freebies as an “insult” to the dignity of the people, and presented himself as a moral dissenter in an election shaped by welfare one-upmanship.It’s a familiar role for the 59-year-old. An outsider with no political friends in the Dravidian land, Seeman contests the election independently, insisting that an alliance would weaken both his politics and his cause. His basic proposal is simple, but central to his appeal: “Everyone has the right to live in Tamil Nadu. However, the right to rule belongs exclusively to us Tamils.”That message has helped Seeman carve out a distinct, if still electorally unfulfilled, niche in Tamil Nadu politics. Since making its electoral debut in the 2016 assembly elections, it has not won a single seat in the assembly or parliament. Nevertheless, NTK’s vote base has steadily increased. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the party contested all 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on its own and secured about 8% of the vote – up from 3.8% in 2019. Last year, the Election Commission had granted “recognized party” status to NTK.Seeman has continued to reject the alliance in principle. While campaigning in Coimbatore, he said that if parties with 1, 2 or 3% vote share could bargain for 20 or 30 seats – or even cash – his own leverage would have been far greater had he been willing to negotiate. But, he says that he is not in politics for money. He says, “I stand for my people.” This time too NTK has fielded its candidates in all 234 assembly constituencies.Born in Arnaiyur in Sivagangai district in 1966, Seeman made his name in Tamil cinema first as a director and later as an actor and then moved into full-time politics. He directed films including ‘Panchalankurichi’ starring Tamil actor Prabhu in 1996. However, over time, cinema gave way to activism as he became increasingly vocal on issues of Tamil identity, language, farmers’ rights, environmental protection and the plight of Sri Lankan Tamils.His support for the Sri Lankan Tamils would define both his politics and his public persona. In 2008, as the Sri Lankan civil war was nearing its end, Seeman met LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, a figure he openly worships. Over the following years his image strengthened as a fierce Tamil nationalist. He spoke out strongly against the killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka and was detained under the National Security Act in 2009 and 2010 for giving speeches in support of Prabhakaran. When he founded NTK on May 18, 2010 – the first death anniversary of the LTTE chief – its symbolism was unmistakable.Seeman has positioned NTK as a Tamil nationalist alternative to the two major Dravidian parties, DMK and ADMK. But his journey has hardly been linear. Once a staunch supporter of Dravidian icon Periyar EV Ramasamy, he now rejects the description of Tamil Nadu as “Periyar land”. Critic of the DMK and Congress on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, he supported Jayalalithaa’s ADMK in the 2011 and 2014 elections before contesting as an independent in 2016.The first outing was disappointing. NTK fielded candidates in all 234 assembly constituencies and deposits were forfeited in almost every seat. Seeman himself finished fifth in Cuddalore. But the setbacks did not stop the party’s slow progress. Its vote share increased to 6.6% in the 2021 assembly elections, from 1.1% in 2016. Seaman continues to present that incremental growth as evidence that his politics are taking root even without the support of larger structures.Part of that appeal lies in the man’s style as well as his message. Seeman is a mesmerizing Tamil speaker whose speeches often draw crowds willing to brave the rain and stand for long periods of time to hear him. At a recent meeting in Ariyalur, hundreds of people did just that. The NTK chief takes a dig at his rivals who rely on texts and teleprompters, saying, “A leader must speak with purpose, not just on paper. He must speak from his heart.”In his speeches, Seeman attacks corruption, vote-buying and what he calls “dependency-creating freebies”. He promises quality education, infrastructure, government jobs, state-supported dairy farms and prohibition. He has made women’s representation a key part of the NTK’s pitch, giving women half the seats in the party and promising equal representation in government, which he says is their birthright.For supporters, this explains his hold on a growing segment of young voters. NTK youth wing coordinator Idumbavanam Karthik says, “People become his fans through his speeches. He built the party by articulating his principles and ideologies.”However, Seeman’s politics is also marked by contradiction and controversy. He has made inflammatory remarks against Christians and Muslims. In his meetings he declared that Tamils were followers of ‘Shaivam’ and ‘Vaishnavam’ and not ‘Hindu’. Yet, at an RSS event he said that he would use Brahmins to break the Dravidian fort. In line with that proposal, he has fielded six Brahmin candidates this time.This contradiction may be at the root of Seeman’s politics. But in a state where politics has long been dominated by two Dravidian stalwarts, Seeman has ensured that he cannot be ignored as a fringe player.
