CHENNAI: Fresh from the commendable performance that it registered in the recent Lok Sabha elections despite being forced to contest on a new symbol, the Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) has decided to ask the Election Commission of India to allot it the same mike symbol that is now popular with its supporters for the upcoming Vikravandi Assembly bypoll.
This is the first election that the party is facing after obtaining State party recognition, and the party is hoping to record an even better performance due to the AIADMK's decision to boycott the bypoll.
"We have decided to contest on the same mike symbol that was allocated to us for the parliamentary elections. After this election, we will ask for a separate symbol for Naam Tamilar Katchi," said its leader Seeman on Sunday.
Inspired by slain LTTE chief V Prabhakaran, the party and its leader had sought 'tiger' as its symbol. But this was turned down by the Election Commission noting that the tiger was India's national animal. But the party would seek the symbol again, Seeman said.
"The first thing we are going to ask for is the tiger symbol. The Election Commission has already refused to give us this symbol saying the tiger is a national symbol. The question then is how the BJP was allocated the lotus, which is our national flower," he said.
"If we don't get the tiger symbol, we will ask for the single farmer symbol. But we have decided not to use the previous sugarcane farmer symbol," the NTK leader added.