It has barely been a day and media circles are abuzz with speculation that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may lay claim to the post of Chief Minister of Puducherry. However, the BJP has won 6 seats only, and it is the All India NR Congress that has won t10 seats in the Union Territory.

The All India N.R. Congress was founded by former Chief Minister of Puducherry, N Rangaswamy in 2011, after he broke away from the Indian National Congress. While it is a given that the AINRC-BJP alliance is set to form the next government in Puducherry but now a fresh political scene may play out when it comes to decide the next Chief Minister of the UT. 

The DMK won six seats, Indian National Congress won six seats, and there were six Independent candidates who also won, while AIADMK drew a blank in the Puducherry election. Puducherry was under President’s Rule after the collapse of the V Narayanasamy-led Congress government. 

With just 6 MLA’s the #BJP wants Chief Minister post in #Puducherry.

— Shabbir Ahmed (@Ahmedshabbir20) May 3, 2021

The Puducherry Assembly results were the one bright spot for the Bharatiya Janata Party which till now did not have a footprint in the UT. The AINRC had contested in 16 seats, BJP was given nine seats to contest. The UT has an electorate of 10.03 lakh, and a total of 30 Assembly Seats, and also has three nominated seats. The party was congratulated by a jubilant Prime Minister himself: “I thank the people of Puducherry for blessing NDA…”

I thank the people of Puducherry for blessing NDA. We are humbled to serve the people and fulfil their dreams. Our Karyakartas made outstanding efforts to work among the people and elaborate on our agenda of good governance.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 2, 2021

According to news reports around 1,382 personnel were deployed for counting of votes in Puducherry and over 400 police personnel were on security duties. The UT has 30 constituencies and had cast its vote on April 6 and recorded a voter turnout of nearly 82 per cent. According to news reports there were around 324 candidates into the poll fray. Though it was the All India NR Congress (AINRC)-led NDA and the Congress-led Secular Democratic alliance who were the key contenders. The AINRC fielded 16 candidates, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had nine, and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) had five seats.  

 The List of Winners, as shared by NDTV:

1. Ariankuppam – Datchanamourtt (NRC)

2. Bahour – R Senthilkumar (DMK)

3. Embalam – U Lakshmikandhan (NRC)

4. Indira Nagar – V Aroumougame (NRC)

5. Kadirgamam – S Ramesh (NRC)

6. Kalapet – M L Kalyanasundaram (BJP)

7. Kamaraj Nagar – A Johnkumar (BJP)    

8. Karaikal – PRN Thirumurugan (NRC)    

9. Karaikal South – AMH Nazim (DMK)

10. Lawspet – M Vaithianathan (Congress)    

11. Mahe – Ramesan Parambath (Congress)    

12. Manavely – R Selvam (BJP)

13. Mangalam – Djeacoumar C (NRC)

14. Mannadipet – A Namassivayam (BJP)    

15. Mudaliarpet – L Sambath (DMK)

16. Muthialpet    – J Prakash Kumar (IND)

17. Nedungadu – Chandirapriyanga (NRC)

18. Nellithope – J Vivilian Richards (BJP)

19. Neravy-T.R.Pattinam – Nagathiyagarajan (DMK)    

20. Nettapakkam – P Rajavelu (NRC)

21. Orleampeth – G Nehru Kuppusamy (IND)    

22. Oupalam – Annibal Kennedy (DMK)    

23. Oussudu –    AK Sai J Saravanan Kumar (BJP)

24. Ozhukarai – M Sivasankar (IND)

25. Raj Bhavan – K Lakshminarayanan (NRC)

26. Thattanchavady – N Rangaswamy (NRC)    

27. Thirubhuvanai –    P Angalane (IND)

28. Thirunallar    – PR Siva (IND)

29. Villianur – R Siva (DMK)

30. Yanam – Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok (IND-Congress)

It was the tide of defections that had led to the fall of the Narayanasamy-led Government in February. It is the same group that has contributed to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) win in the UT. However, the win is not the end, it is the beginning of perhaps yet another fragile political alliance which the next Chief Minister of the UT will have to keep intact for the next five years. 

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Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy resigned after the Congress government lost its majority on Monday. The final blow came after two more exits from the party on Sunday, plunging the government’s numbers to 12 MLAs in the House, two short of  the majority mark of 14. This loss comes merely months before the Assembly polls are due in the Union Territory, perhaps around April-May. The Congress’s CM, Narayanasamy had been asked to face a trust vote last week. 

However, the ruling coalition lost two more MLAs; Congress’s K Lakshminarayanan and its partner DMK’s K Venkatesan who resigned, reported NDTV. According to the news report the four-time Congress MLA Lakshminarayanan said he was upset at not getting “recognition” in the party and that he wasn’t made a minister, Speaker or party chief. It is speculated that now the rival NR Congress-led alliance, which has 14 MLAs, may be asked to form a government. However it is not ruled out that Puducherry’s Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan may also call for President’s rule to be imposed.

Mirror Now reported that Narayanasamy blamed the Centre and the former Lt Gov KiranBedi for “toppling the democratically elected Govt of the Union Territory”. He also said that the decision by the speaker during the trust vote was wrong. 

In an #Exclusive conversation with @Mugilan__C, CM V #Narayanasamy blamed the Centre and the former LG #KiranBedi for toppling the democratically elected Govt of the Union Territory. He also remarked that the decision by the speaker during the trust vote was wrong. Listen in! pic.twitter.com/K4lOeJn7Co

— Mirror Now (@MirrorNow) February 22, 2021

According to NDTV’s reporter J Sam Daniel Stalin, the DMK may also move court if there is an attempt “to delay Puducherry polls”. 

M K STALIN SLAMS BJP FOR FALL OF CONGRESS GOVT IN PUDUCHERRY, LAUDS NARAYANASAMY

M K STALIN BJP HAS ENACTED YET ANOTHER MURDER OF DEMOCRACY

M K STALIN:

PEOPLE WILL NOT BE SILENT SPECTATORS. DMK – CONGRESS WILL GO TO PEOPLE

— J Sam Daniel Stalin (@jsamdaniel) February 22, 2021

V Narayanasamy has not only accused the opposition BJP and NR Congress of bringing down the government but has also accused the former Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi of “colluding with the opposition”. According to NDTV, ater Narayanasamy’s address the Congress asked the Speaker to not allow the three nominated MLAs – all BJP members – to vote. Without these MLAs, the ruling Congress would have a majority. But the Speaker denied the request; the Supreme Court had in a past ruling allowed nominated MLAs to vote.

According to news reports, Narayanasamy delivered an hour-long speech in which he said “the strategies of the BJP” to topple his government were “nothing but political prostitution”. He told The Indian Express that the BJP “lured” his ministers and MLAs to “ensure a caretaker government in Puducherry during the polls.” 

He alleged in his interview to IE that the BJP wanted to topple his government “using the same tactics they used in Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh. And they were using the money power, using the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and central agencies against our MLAs. They lured our MLAs with money. That is how they succeeded to get support from some of the ministers and MLAs from our side. But we will fight it out.”

Meanwhile the BJP state president and one of the nominated MLAs, V Saminathan, told IE, “All of these charges are false. The BJP had no role to play in the fall of this government. It was a highly corrupt government and collapsed on its own due to mismanagement and poor governance. If BJP was the reason, why did their Health Minister and senior leader Malladi Krishna Rao resign? Why did they disqualify an MLA last year itself? This government lost the majority because it was a failure.” The ruling coalition lost seven MLAs, including five from the Congress and one from DMK who resigned in the past one month while another Congress MLA was disqualified in July 2020 for anti-party activities.

About the exit of senior ministers, Narayanasamy said, “I had trust in them, and they betrayed that trust. It happens in politics, nothing new in it. Anyway, the people of Puducherry will teach them a lesson in the elections (scheduled to be held in April-May).”

Lieutenant Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan had ordered Narayanasamy on Thursday February 18, to take a floor test on Monday February 22, citing the opposition’s stand that his government no longer has a majority. She had taken charge as Lieutenant Governor just a day before this call, after Kiran Bedi was suddenly removed from the Constitutional post on Tuesday February 16.

According to NDTV, the now former CM had blamed the BJP’s “Operation Kamala” for the current crisis. This is what the BJP’s critics say is the formula used for “destabilizing governments by engineering defections in the ruling parties.” Puducherry was the only Congress government in South India at the moment. Its collapse will certainly help the BJP and its affiliates in the upcoming elections. According to The Indian Express, senior leaders of the Opposition alliance of NR Congress-AIADMK-BJP have so far said they will hold discussions with allies and weigh options of forming a government.

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Though they were not known to see eye to eye ever, the Congress in Puducherry cannot celebrate the sudden removal of Kiran Bedi as Puducherry Lieutenant Governor .  The Congress-led coalition government now faces a floor test ordered by the newly appointed Lt Gov vernor Tamilisai Soundararajan.

The Lt Gov ordered the floor test to be held on February 22, to ascertain the majority of the coalition. According to news reports, the Lt Gov’s orders were issued on Thursday and a statement issued. The Lt Gov has reportedly noted that both the ruling coalition and Opposition have a strength of 14 members each, in the legislative assembly. Therefore a floor test in the 30-member legislative assembly will be conducted. To govern, a party or coalition must have a majority of 16 is the magic number. According to the news reports “the voting shall take place by show of hands and the proceedings will be videographed.”

The news reports quoted the Lt Gov’s statement, “The floor test in pursuance of the above directions shall be concluded by 5 pm on 22.02.2021 and the proceedings shall not be adjourned/delayed or suspended at any cost.” The statement was issued just hours after Soundararajan took charge as the Lieutenant Governor of the Union territory. Puducherry is expected to go to polls in April-May this year.

It has often been reported that the now ex-Lt Gov Kiran Bedi, and Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayansamy have never agreed on policy matters. She was suddenly sacked and the move set off speculations about the political future of the UT 

Thank all those who were a part my journey as Lt Governor of Puducherry—
The People of Puducherry and all the Public officials. ? pic.twitter.com/ckvwJ694qq

— Kiran Bedi (@thekiranbedi) February 17, 2021

The  political crisis following resignations of Congress MLAs from the Narayanasamy-led government is now on razor’s edge. According to a report in the Financial Express  Chief Minister V Narayanasamy has already held a meeting with Congress MLAs on Thursday night, however, no decision on the future course of action seems to have been taken. Another meeting has been reportedly scheduled a day ahead of the trust vote. According to news reports, Narayanasamy has stated that the three nominated MLAs, who are all from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “do not have rights to vote on a confidence motion, and the Opposition strength was only 11 and not 14 as maintained by them.

Meanwhile, it is reported by Indian Express that the Congress now has ten MLAs, including the speaker, and its ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has three MLAs. This was the tally after four Congress MLAs resigned this year. Two of those have joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) now.

Kiran Bedi’s sudden removal as Puducherry Lt Governor, has taken away the Congress’ biggest election issue, claims the BJP. According to a NDTV report it was Chief Minister V Narayanasamy who reportedly had been seeking Bedi’s removal for long. However, the timing now is putting his own government at risk as it comes after the MLAs resignation. It is evident that the removal may impact the polls, even if the floor test is passed by the Congress government.  

According to NDTV, Congress had “accused” Kiran Bedi of “blocking every move of its government and putting up hurdles in its way”  when she was Lt Gov. Narayanasamy was reportedly in Delhi last Malladi Kweek “to request President Ram Nath Kovind to remove her as Lieutenant Governor.” However Malladi Krishna Rao the Congress MLA who went with him is among the four who have resigned since January. The others are, A Namassivayam and E.Theeppainjan, who have since joined the BJP, now Rao and John Kumar may also do so, state news reports.

It is not known yet if Kiran Bedi will get another appointment as Governor soon, or will she return to electoral politics, or even retire. The appointment of Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan was almost instantaneous. According to NDTV, if the Congress government fell short of a majority, President’s rule may be imposed in the UT. 

The BJP is reported to have tasked senior leaders Arjun Meghwal and Rajiv Chandrashekhar, with managing the upcoming Puducherry polls.  

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