The Naam Tamilar Katchi seems to be the party in Tamil Nadu whose voteshare greatly reduced in the recent election, thanks to TVK and Vijay. But even after failing to secure a single victory in any of the 11 Assembly constituencies in Salem district and losing deposits across all seats, several Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidates have launched an environmental initiative by deciding to plant saplings corresponding to the number of votes they received in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, as reported in The New Indian Express.
The move has been presented by party candidates as an attempt to remain connected with the public while also contributing to environmental protection and nature conservation.
NTK had contested in all 11 constituencies in Salem district but failed to win any seat. Collectively, the party secured 77,596 votes across the district. Among the candidates, Edappadi constituency candidate A Priyadharshini secured the highest number of votes for the party in Salem with 8,450 votes.
Following the election results, Salem North candidate M Gunaseela, Salem West candidate R Sureshkumar and Edappadi candidate A Priyadharshini decided to undertake plantation drives matching the exact number of votes polled in their respective constituencies. Gunaseela secured 6,450 votes in Salem North, while Sureshkumar received 6,820 votes in Salem West.
Party sources stated that the initiative undertaken by the three candidates had also inspired a few other NTK candidates in Salem district to consider carrying out similar plantation drives in their own constituencies.
Speaking about the initiative, Priyadharshini said the party fully accepted the people’s electoral verdict but did not believe political engagement with the constituency should end after elections. She stated that environmental protection and creating awareness about nature conservation had always been among the party’s key ideological positions and described the plantation drive as an opportunity to give back both to the people and to the environment.
She further stated that she planned to plant 8,450 saplings matching the number of votes she received and intended to personally ensure their maintenance. According to her, party cadres and volunteers would participate in the plantation drive in and around Edappadi, adding that the initiative was meant to benefit all residents of the constituency, irrespective of whether they had voted for the party.
Salem North candidate Gunaseela said the election campaign had given her direct exposure to the difficulties faced by residents in several parts of the constituency. She stated that she had campaigned continuously for around 96 days through extensive door-to-door outreach and had encountered areas where even basic civic facilities remained inadequate. She also noted that many women had raised longstanding grievances and unresolved local issues during the campaign period. Gunaseela said the plantation initiative in her constituency would focus on areas surrounding Mookaneri Lake.
Meanwhile, Salem West candidate Sureshkumar stated that although the party had expected a stronger vote share, the election outcome would not distance its candidates from the public. He said the party intended to continue working among the people and maintained that addressing public needs should not be seen as the responsibility of elected MLAs and MPs alone, adding that political workers could continue contributing to society in other meaningful ways as well.
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