PUDUCHERRY: Union Minister of State for PMO V Narayanasamy, who was aiming for a second stint in the Lok Sabha, was humbled by R Radhakrishnan of the All India NR Congress (AINRC) in a multi-cornered contest in Puducherry.
Radhakrishnan won by a margin of 60,854 votes. He polled 2,55,826 votes to Narayansamy’s 1,94,972 votes, of the total valid votes of 7,17,749 . The constituency recorded 82.14 per cent polling. This is the maiden LS election for both 42-year-old Radhakrishnan and his three-year-old party, the AINRC. Initially, Narayanasamy established a lead of 7,121 votes. Almost half way through counting, the trend changed with Radhakrishnan emerging ahead with 39 votes. From then on there was no looking back and he posted a convincing win.
Son of former MLA R Ramanathan, Radhakrishnan had been the Speaker of the Territorial Assembly. He joined AINRC just before the polls and was named the party candidate.
Narayanasamy was gracious in defeat. “Winning or losing is part of democratic system. I accept the verdict of the people,” he said.
On the other hand, Radhakrishnan said the people has voted for change. The popularity of Chief Minister N Rangasamy and the Modi wave sweeping across the country contributed to his victory, said Radhakrishnan.
AINRC Victory Trip
With the victory in the Lok Sabha elections on Friday, Radhakrishnan has created history by being the youngest candidate to win a seat.
Born on June 9, 1971, he was a two-time MLA. He was first elected to the Assembly in 2001 from Kuruvinatham constituency representing former Minister P Kannan‘s PMC. After the party’s merger with the Congress, he continued in the party and was re-elected in 2006.
A good mix of education and political acumen imbibed from his father led to his exemplary functioning as the Speaker earning him wide appreciation. He contested the 2011 Assembly elections and lost. He joined the NR Congress later.