Puducherry chief minister N Rangasamy on Wednesday submitted the list of his Cabinet ministers to Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, months after the election results were announced on May 2.
The All Indian NR Congress (AINRC)-led alliance, in which the BJP is a key constituent, won the elections in the Union Territory following the collapse of the then Congress-led regime earlier this year in February.
The delay in Cabinet formation was caused by multiple factors and more recently, by infighting in the BJP as supporters of all the six elected MLAs were lobbying for Cabinet posts. “The list has five ministers--three from AINRC and two from the BJP,” said a senior AINRC leader not wishing to be quoted.
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Former Congress heavyweight, A Namassivayam who moved to the BJP, is likely to be one of the ministers. His exit had led to a spate of resignations from the Congress. Though the BJP drew a blank in the 2016 assembly elections, it was the Congress turncoats who aided the party in winning six out of the nine seats they contested this time.
{{/usCountry}}Former Congress heavyweight, A Namassivayam who moved to the BJP, is likely to be one of the ministers. His exit had led to a spate of resignations from the Congress. Though the BJP drew a blank in the 2016 assembly elections, it was the Congress turncoats who aided the party in winning six out of the nine seats they contested this time.
{{/usCountry}}Besides Namassivayam, senior BJP leader Sai Saravanan Kumar, who was elected from Oussudu, a reserved constituency for scheduled castes, is also likely to be inducted in the Cabinet.
Initially the process was delayed as chief minister N Rangaswamy was down with Covid-19, a day after he took oath on May 7. The newly elected MLAs were sworn in almost three weeks later, on May 26. Later, negotiations were hard between the AINRC and BJP over the number of Cabinet berths. BJP MLA ‘Embalam’ R Selvam was elected unopposed to the Speaker’s post on June 16.