Puducherry: The All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) is confident of winning a second consecutive term on the back of effective governance and people-centric schemes, said the party's founder and Puducherry chief minister N Rangasamy.
“(We) will win more seats,” Rangasamy told ET. "We will win enough seats to form the government. We have run a good government in the last five years and have implemented good welfare programmes for the people without any setbacks. Youth have (also) been given government job opportunities."
The Union Territory of Puducherry comprises the former French establishments of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam. Rangasamy is a four-time chief minister who splintered from the Congress and launched the AINRC in 2011. He has served as CM twice each as Congress leader and as AINRC chief.
The 75-year old, is contesting for a fifth term from two constituencies -- Thattanchavady and Mangalam. Out of the 30 assembly constituencies, the ruling AINRC is contesting 16 constituencies and its ally BJP in 10, while the AIADMK and LJK are in the fray in two segments each.
Read More | Rahul Gandhi blasts Puducherry govt over fake drugs, calls it “murder”
Rangasamy has won Thattanchavady five times — in 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2021. In the 2021 assembly election, he defeated the CPI’s K Sethu Selvam by a margin of 5,456 votes. The Mangalam constituency, on the other hand, is currently represented by C Djeacoumar of the AINRC, a minister in Puducherry's coalition government.
In his current term as CM, Rangasamy has been criticised by opponents of paying mere lip service to the long-felt aspiration for statehood. But he told ET that he was positive about convincing the BJP regarding granting statehood for Puducherry if elected for a second term.
“We have been asking (for statehood) for long – since the Congress regime," Rangasamy said. “They didn’t give it to us. Our party is putting continuous pressure and we think we can (convince the BJP).”
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During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on March 1, Rangasamy appealed for statehood from a stage he shared with the PM. But Modi did not acknowledge the appeal at the time or when he visited on April 1.
The opposition has been scathing in its attack on Rangasamy regarding his “unfulfilled promise” of statehood. Senior leaders of the Congress have questioned why he has not boycotted this election, as he had declared, considering no statehood has been granted. But the chief minister remained unperturbed and said statehood was a must for Puducherry.
Meanwhile, when asked about what he felt about the alliance including the Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), a new party run by liquor baron Santiago Martin's son Jose Charles Martin, Rangasamy only said, “They're in the alliance.”
That Rangasamy is not happy about having the LJK as part of the alliance is apparent. Even some of his campaign vehicles stationed at his house did not bear the flag of the LJK but included those of the BJP and the AIADMK. The chief minister, however, asserted that joining hands with the LJK would not hamper his chances in the election.
But the opposition has left no stone unturned to criticise the LJK. Congress leader Dolly Sharma, for instance, said Jose Charles Martin would exploit Puducherry’s people via the lottery system. “These people have done nothing but deceive the public,” she has said to the media earlier. However, Charles Martin clapped back by attacking Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. "These people are known for corruption. They don’t have the right to speak on all these things," he said.
The Congress has also slammed the ruling alliance for not delivering on its “tall promises” and said Puducherry had declined steeply on multiple parameters, citing substance abuse, corruption, lack of industrial development and unemployment among the most pressing issues.
Rangasamy dismissed the allegations, saying, “There is proper law and order in our regime. We have filled up all the posts in the police department.”
“(We) will win more seats,” Rangasamy told ET. "We will win enough seats to form the government. We have run a good government in the last five years and have implemented good welfare programmes for the people without any setbacks. Youth have (also) been given government job opportunities."
The Union Territory of Puducherry comprises the former French establishments of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam. Rangasamy is a four-time chief minister who splintered from the Congress and launched the AINRC in 2011. He has served as CM twice each as Congress leader and as AINRC chief.
The 75-year old, is contesting for a fifth term from two constituencies -- Thattanchavady and Mangalam. Out of the 30 assembly constituencies, the ruling AINRC is contesting 16 constituencies and its ally BJP in 10, while the AIADMK and LJK are in the fray in two segments each.
Read More | Rahul Gandhi blasts Puducherry govt over fake drugs, calls it “murder”
Rangasamy has won Thattanchavady five times — in 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2021. In the 2021 assembly election, he defeated the CPI’s K Sethu Selvam by a margin of 5,456 votes. The Mangalam constituency, on the other hand, is currently represented by C Djeacoumar of the AINRC, a minister in Puducherry's coalition government.
In his current term as CM, Rangasamy has been criticised by opponents of paying mere lip service to the long-felt aspiration for statehood. But he told ET that he was positive about convincing the BJP regarding granting statehood for Puducherry if elected for a second term.
“We have been asking (for statehood) for long – since the Congress regime," Rangasamy said. “They didn’t give it to us. Our party is putting continuous pressure and we think we can (convince the BJP).”
Also Read | 'Petrol, diesel prices increased in Pakistan, not India': Amit Shah takes jibe at Rahul Gandhi's rising prices remarks
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on March 1, Rangasamy appealed for statehood from a stage he shared with the PM. But Modi did not acknowledge the appeal at the time or when he visited on April 1.
The opposition has been scathing in its attack on Rangasamy regarding his “unfulfilled promise” of statehood. Senior leaders of the Congress have questioned why he has not boycotted this election, as he had declared, considering no statehood has been granted. But the chief minister remained unperturbed and said statehood was a must for Puducherry.
Meanwhile, when asked about what he felt about the alliance including the Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), a new party run by liquor baron Santiago Martin's son Jose Charles Martin, Rangasamy only said, “They're in the alliance.”
That Rangasamy is not happy about having the LJK as part of the alliance is apparent. Even some of his campaign vehicles stationed at his house did not bear the flag of the LJK but included those of the BJP and the AIADMK. The chief minister, however, asserted that joining hands with the LJK would not hamper his chances in the election.
But the opposition has left no stone unturned to criticise the LJK. Congress leader Dolly Sharma, for instance, said Jose Charles Martin would exploit Puducherry’s people via the lottery system. “These people have done nothing but deceive the public,” she has said to the media earlier. However, Charles Martin clapped back by attacking Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. "These people are known for corruption. They don’t have the right to speak on all these things," he said.
The Congress has also slammed the ruling alliance for not delivering on its “tall promises” and said Puducherry had declined steeply on multiple parameters, citing substance abuse, corruption, lack of industrial development and unemployment among the most pressing issues.
Rangasamy dismissed the allegations, saying, “There is proper law and order in our regime. We have filled up all the posts in the police department.”
