A rebellion is brewing in the Puducherry unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as MLAs raised their angst against party member and home minister A Namassivayam and the N Rangasamy-led All India N R Congress (AINRC) government.
Seven MLAs, including three independents and a nominated member have been in Delhi in the past few days to meet the BJP’s central leadership. So far, they have met BJP national president JP Nadda on Wednesday.
The MLAs believe that Namassivayam — who lost the lone parliamentary seat in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls — along with chief minister Rangasamy had strategised badly for the elections.
The MLAs — A John Kumar, his son Richard John Kumar, and PML Kalyanasundaram from the BJP, the independent P Angalane, G Srinivas Ashok, and M Sivasankaran, and nominated member K Venkatesan — want the central leadership to accept their concerns.
The demands include removal of Namassivayam and AK Sai J Saravana Kumar from the Cabinet, said one of the MLAs on the condition of anonymity. They also want two MLAs from the BJP to be their successors, and for the good posts to be given to the independent MLAs in the union territory’s government.
Some of these MLAs had quit the Congress along with Namassivyam in 2021 to topple the then Congress government by defecting to the BJP. “We want the central leadership to give everyone a chance as promised,” one of the MLAs said. In the 30-member assembly, AINRC has 10 seats while the BJP has six.
{{/usCountry}}Some of these MLAs had quit the Congress along with Namassivyam in 2021 to topple the then Congress government by defecting to the BJP. “We want the central leadership to give everyone a chance as promised,” one of the MLAs said. In the 30-member assembly, AINRC has 10 seats while the BJP has six.
{{/usCountry}}The MLAs suggested the BJP come out of the coalition government and offer support from outside. They believe this would prepare the ground for the national party to form the government during the 2026 assembly elections in Puducherry.