PUDUCHERRY: The BJP on Friday initiated a major reshuffle in its Puducherry unit ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, with Adi Dravidar Welfare Minister A K Sai Saravanan Kumar resigning from the N Rangasamy-led cabinet, and three nominated MLAs — V P Ramalingam, K Venkatesan, and R B Ashok Babu — stepping down.
The resignations were directed by the party’s central leadership as part of a strategy to bring in new faces in the run-up to the polls. Puducherry is the BJP’s only stronghold in South India, where it governs in alliance with the AINRC. Sai Saravanan Kumar, the lone Dalit minister in the cabinet, confirmed he had stepped down on the party’s instructions.
“I was appointed minister on June 27 at the direction of PM Narendra Modi. I have now resigned following his directive,” he said. Assembly Speaker R Selvam confirmed that the resignations of the three nominated MLAs had been accepted and forwarded to L-G K Kailashnathan for submission to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
BJP Puducherry in-charge Nirmal Kumar Surana said the party has finalised three names for the vacant nominated MLA posts. Those in consideration include S Rajasekaran, former Congress MLA E Theepainjan and D Selvam, current BJP vice-president.