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Oppn may not stake claim, Cong sets eyes on elections
The Puducherry government fell on Monday as Narayanasamy resigned ahead of a confidence vote with his ruling coalition slipping below the majority mark due to the recent resignations of Congress MLAs and a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) legislator.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which described the collapse of the V Narayanasamy government in Puducherry as the closure of “the worst chapter” in the Union territory’s history, said on Monday it will not stake a claim to form the government.
Assembly elections are due in the UT of Puducherry in April-May along with four states — Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
“We will not try and form a government at this stage. With the people’s blessings in the forthcoming elections and [Prime Minister Narendra] Modiji’s leadership, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will form a government with the BJP and its alliance partners, All India NR Congress and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, in May,” Puducherry BJP president V Saminathan said.
The Puducherry government fell on Monday as Narayanasamy resigned ahead of a confidence vote with his ruling coalition slipping below the majority mark due to the recent resignations of Congress MLAs and a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) legislator.
With two Congress legislators already defecting to the BJP since January, there are speculations that more could follow suit. “For the past two years, there have been some people who have shown interest in joining the BJP; and this is not surprising since the Congress lacks leadership,” said a senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity.
Even though the BJP is still in a nascent phase in the UT and relies heavily on its allies, the party is hoping to benefit from the joining of influential leaders. “There may not be a dramatic increase in the vote share or the number of seats, but even small additions make a difference...,” said the leader quoted above.
Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who is the election in- charge of the UT, tweeted: “Puducherry is celebrating as it becomes free from the misgovernance & corruption-ridden regime of Congress. This moment will be marked as a significant milestone in the growth trajectory of #ProsperousPuducherry #CongressMuktPuducherry.”
On the other hand, the Congress hoped to turn the tide in the elections. In the assembly, Narayanasamy said former lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi, who was removed on February 16, and the central government colluded with the Opposition to topple his government. He said the Centre did not grant statehood to Puducherry despite requests. The Congress hoped the charge that the BJP “manufactured rebellion” in the UT can also be clubbed with the allegations of high-handedness by Bedi. A senior leader based in Chennai added that a frontal attack on the BJP is the “best option”.
Senior Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi said, “In the present case, the impact of the toppling of the government will be less lethal for the simple reason that elections are round the corner and this will arouse great sympathy for the Congress in Puducherry.”
Setting the tone for the poll campaign, Dinesh Gundu Rao, Congress’s incharge for Puducherry and Tamil Nadu, tweeted: “BJP4India kills democracy again. Using ED, IT & other agencies, spending crores of rupees they have toppled an elected govt. @INCIndia will go to the people, the people of Puducherry will give a befitting reply in the elections.”
