Explained: This article explains the political background, key decisions, and possible outcomes related to Explained : Puducherry Elections: NDA Finalises Seat Sharing as INDIA Bloc Struggles to Reach Deal and Its Impact and why it matters right now.
Congress discussed seat-sharing negotiations with DMK. With the election approaching, the NDA has completed seat sharing, while the Congress and the DMK continue negotiations amid disagreements over seat allocation.
| Photo Credit: @DrAnjaliTai/X
The process of filing nominations began in Puducherry on March 16, and the Union Territory goes to the polls on April 9. While parties in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have arrived at a seat-sharing understanding, the INDIA bloc continues to struggle to find common ground. Actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), meanwhile, remains largely inactive in the Union Territory, attracting attention only when Vijay addresses rallies or makes public appearances in or around Puducherry.
The seat-sharing exercise in the NDA is complete with the BJP deciding to contest 14 seats and allocating the remaining 16 seats to its larger partner, the All India NR Congress. Puducherry Assembly has 30 seats and three nominated members. The BJP starts with an advantage of “plus three” because of the nominated members who can perform all the functions of the elected members.
“NR [N Rangaswamy, the current Chief Minister] is a practical leader,” said a supporter of the former Congress leader. “He reads the situation, pushes for what is possible and has managed to stay relevant in Puducherry for such a long time,” he added.
Ahead of the 2021 Assembly election, Rangasamy had adopted a tough stance while negotiating with the BJP. At one point, he had decided that he would not partner with the BJP, sources said. But as he witnessed events far and near and the power of the Central agencies, he softened his stand. Even now, there is no love lost between the Chief Minister and the Lieutenant Governor, Kailashnathan, a former Gujarat-cadre IAS officer close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is a source of irritation for politicians aligned with the NR Congress. But since Rangasamy knows which battles to pick and which ones to avoid, he keeps his uneasy peace–and with it, the chair, in Puducherry.
The BJP has also convinced Jose Charles Martin, the son of India’s biggest lottery baron, Santiago Martin, who floated a political party three months ago, to join its alliance. However, Rangasamy has refused to publicly state whether Charles’s party, Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), was an alliance partner or not. Charles has unlimited resources and launched his party after his brother-in-law Aadhav Arjun joined actor Vijay’s party.
When the LJK was formed, Charles declared that his party would contest all seats in the Union Territory. But as time went by, he looked for allies. The DMK and the Congress have accused him of being the BJP’s “B” team and claimed that he was in the fray to divide the opposition votes. Hence, it is puzzling why Charles was roped in by the BJP. Charles himself is confident of winning from the Kamaraj Nagar constituency and expects one of his party colleagues to make it to the Assembly. Two MLAs in a house of 30 is a big number.
As for his vision for the Union Territory, Charles posted on the social media platform X: “Puducherry has always been a rare fusion of Tamil soul and French urbanity. Now that heritage is becoming the blueprint for our future.” Going by the media coverage he generates in Puducherry, he is projected as one of the tallest leaders in the Union Territory. From time to time, his social media account targets Aadhav Arjun, perhaps an indication that his political foray has more to do with his problems with his brother-in-law.
Meanwhile, the DMK and the Congress are unable to come to an understanding on seat sharing. The DMK is demanding 18 of the 30 Assembly seats [In 2021, the party had won six seats against two seats won by the Congress]. This has come as a shock to the Congress, which has so far been the leader of the alliance in Puducherry. One leader said that the Congress has demanded 20 seats, and hence, there is no meeting ground between the two parties. In fact, the talks were so deadlocked that the DMK leaders did not want to go to the Congress office for negotiations and the Congress leaders too did not want to visit the DMK leaders.
With the intervention of some outsiders, the leaders of the two parties are now meeting at a common venue.
Sources say that while the Congress is in no mood to budge, the DMK leaders have asked the national party to read the writing on the wall. The coming days will tell us whether reality will trump past glory.
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