Congress-DMK puts an end to Rangaswami's rule in Puducherry

Puducherrry: The Congress-DMK combine on Thursday wrested Puducherry from Chief Minister and rival N Rangaswamy, securing 17 of the 30 seats in the state Assembly.

The win came after the Congress party was ousted from power in Assam and Kerala, and fared poorly in West Bengal. 

The party avenged its gruelling loss in the 2011 Assembly polls after Rangaswamy split away from the Indian National Congress to form his own local offshoot, the All India Namathu Rajyam Congress. 

The defeat is all the more painful for Rangaswamy as it ends his 15-year control over the union territory, spanned over three terms that included changing the name from Pondicherry to Puducherry.

A hardcore Congressman who modleed himself after erstwhile Tamil Nadu Congress leader K Kamaraj, the outgoing Chief Minister has multiple images- for some he is laid back with different priorities, while for others,  he is an amicable man, who tries his best in governance despite limitations of a Union territory.

Party politics rid him of power for a short duration during 2008, when he quit the position of Chief Minster, only to ride back to power with the support of an independent in 2011.

Cutting across party lines, Rangaswamy has been facing allegations of favouritism and nepotism.

Increasing law and order situation and the lack of development, especially with regards to growth, investment and tax collection, is understood to be the key reason for Rangaswamy’s defeat.

Despite the initial close fight, AINRC won only 8 seats including Chief Minster’s Indra Nagar constituency, while the Congress, which contested 21 constituencies, secured 15 of them.

The alliance partner DMK came first in two constituencies.

Prominent among the successful Congress candidates were former chief minister and leader of the opposition in the outgoing assembly V Vaithilingam (Kamaraj Nagar), Pradesh Congress Commitee President A Namassivayam (Villianur).

Congress had fielded a lot of fresh faces this year, with interviews being conducted to select many of them.

AINRC heavyweights who lost included Ministers P. Rajavelu and N.G. Panneerselvam and Speaker V. Sabapathy, while AIADMK's campaign spearhead P. Kannan lost in the Raj Bhavan constituency.

Though  it initially planned on contesting the elections in the Union territory, the Aam Admi Party later decided to withdraw its nominations with next year’s Punjab elections in sight. 

While the AIADMK rode to power for a second time in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, creating history as the first party to win a second consecutive term since 1984, it has fared poorly in the union territory, with only four seats to claim.  

The party had decided to go solo in the fray.

In Karaikal South constituency, five-time DMK MLA A M H Nazeem lost to AIADMK's K A U Asana by a slender margin of 20 votes.

The PWA comprising DMDK, MDMK, CPI-M, CPI and RSP contested 28 constituencies but drew a blank so did the BJP, which had fielded candidates in all 30 seats.

Former Congress strongman P Kannan, who joined the AIADMK on the eve of the elections, lost to his protege K Lakshminarayanan in Raj Bhavan constituency.

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister V Narayanasamy said that the poll verdict in Puducherry, where the ruling AINRC was dislodged from power, is a clear indication that people were "fed up" with its administration.

Immediately after the results were declared, the Congress leader said, "AINRC government had failed on all counts including in maintenance of law and order.There was no development whatsoever in Puducherry during the last five years," he said.

"People are totally fed up with the AINRC administration and they have now reposed confidence in the Congress-DMK combine," he said.

Asked when the legislature party leader would be elected to form the government, he said that would be decided by the Congress high command.

Narayanasamy thanked the people for the support extended to the Congress-DMK alliance.

The outgoing Chief Minster resigned from his position later in the evening today, paving way for the new government.