PUDUCHERRY: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Puducherry was formally finalised on Friday with 16 of the 30 Assembly seats being allotted to the All India NR Congress (AINRC).
The deal was reached after Chief Minister and AINRC chief N Rangasamy, following a compromise with the BJP leadership on Friday, agreed to include the Lakshya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK) in the coalition. Rangasamy said the new party was included based on Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s advice and the decision would strengthen the alliance.
After holding discussions with Rangasamy at a hotel on Friday, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the BJP’s share of 14 seats would be further distributed among its allies — the AIADMK and the newly-formed LJK.
Mandaviya also confirmed that Rangasamy will lead the NDA in Puducherry again, and expressed confidence that the alliance would form the next government under his leadership.
The alliance has worked out a common action plan for the elections, while allowing individual parties to retain their own programmes, he added. Without much clarification, the minister said that AINRC seeking statehood for Puducherry was the individual desire of the party.