BJP allies win 13 seats, to form govt in Puducherry

Chennai: The NDA led by AINRC (All India NR Congress) is all set to form the government in the Union Territory by winning 13 Assembly seats and leading in three more in the 30-member Puducherry Assembly.  The AINRC had secured 10 seats, BJP three, DMK three, Congress two and independents four at the time of going to press.

 AINRC president and former CM N. Rangasamy emerged victorious in Thattanchavady constituency. A. Namassivayam of BJP won from Mannadipet constituency after defeating his DMK rival A. Krishnan. It may be recalled that Namassivayam, who shifted his allegiance to the BJP in January this year after quitting the Congress, contested polls from Mannadipet seat as BJP nominee.

However, M. Vaithianathan of Congress defeated BJP's V. Saminathan, president of Puducherry unit of the party, by a margin of 5,652 votes in Lawspet constituency. Saminathan was one of the nominated MLAs in the outgoing Assembly. Vaithianathan had quit the AINRC a few months ago and joined the Congress.

In an interesting development,  BJP candidates A. Johnkumar and his son Richard Johnkumar won from their Kamaraj Nagar and Nellithope Assembly constituencies.  Meanwhile, none of the five AIADMK candidates emerged victorious in Puducherry assembly elections. For the first time in several years, the Puducherry Assembly will not have an AIADMK representative.