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BJP announces M Arulmurugan as candidate for Karaikal (South) in Puducherry for upcoming polls

The BJP has announced M Arulmurugan as its candidate for the Karaikal (South) seat in Puducherry for the upcoming Assembly polls.

Published on: Mar 22, 2026, 13:40:32 IST
PTI | Posted by Yamini C S
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New Delhi/Puducherry: The BJP, an ally of AINRC in the Union Territory, on Sunday announced M Arulmurugan as its Karaikal (South) candidate for the April 9 Assembly polls.

This decision comes with internal dissent as some party members protest over ticket allocations. (Representative photo) (Naeem Ansari )
This decision comes with internal dissent as some party members protest over ticket allocations. (Representative photo) (Naeem Ansari )

A press release issued by the BJP's Central office in New Delhi said this.

The BJP got 10 seats in the AINRC-led alliance, and the territorial Assembly has 30 seats.

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The agreement was reached between it and the AINRC when the regional party's leaders met Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya.

The AINRC has been earmarked 16 seats, and the AIADMK and Lakshia Jananayaga katchi (LJK) have been allotted two seats each.

The first list of the BJP released on Saturday announced its candidates for nine out of the ten seats allotted to it.

Territorial Home Minister A Namassivayam is seeking re-election from Mannadipet as a BJP candidate. Speaker of the outgoing Assembly Embalam R Selvam is seeking re-election from Manavely.

A John Kumar of the BJP, a minister inducted in the AINRC-led NDA government in 2025 and remaining without a portfolio, has been shifted to Mudaliarpet from Kamaraj Nagar constituency.

Sai J Saravanan Kumar of the BJP, a former minister in the present government, was not given a ticket and E Theepainthan a nominated legislator in the outgoing Assembly, is fielded as BJP candidate in Oussudu. Saravanan Kumar's supporters staged a protest on Saturday, against the denial of a ticket to him. They burnt their party identity cards in front of BJP office here.

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Similarly, former legislator A Baskar who joined the BJP after quitting AIADMK a few months ago in the presence of Mansukh Mandaviya at Mudarliarpet, couldn't find his name in the candidates' list. His supporters registered their protest too.

Baskar is the elder brother of the AIADMK secretary here, A Anbalagan.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S

Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.

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