Puducherry: Loyalists gobble the sweets as Namassivayam waits for Amit Shah

Amit Shah busy with meetings on farmers’ rally, former PWD Min awaits induction into BJP
Former minister Namassivayam’s supporters burst crackers and distribute sweets in Puducherry on Wednesday | G PATTABI RAMAN
Former minister Namassivayam’s supporters burst crackers and distribute sweets in Puducherry on Wednesday | G PATTABI RAMAN

PUDUCHERRY: Putting to rest a week of speculation, former PWD Minister A Namassivayam and Ossudu MLA S Theepainthan, who quit Congress two days ago, reached the BJP party headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday to join the party. However, Union Minister Amit Shah got held up with several meetings following the farmers’ rally, and the Puducherry legislators spent the day waiting for Shah and BJP National President JP Nadda to officially induct them into the party.

Back home, the former minister’s supporters anyway burst crackers and distributed sweets to celebrate their leader ‘joining’ the BJP. Namassivayam’s party-hopping assumes significance as the BJP, for the first time in the union territory, has a strong leader who enjoys the support of a lot of people, especially from the Vanniyar caste. Except AM Krishnamurthy, who won Assembly polls from Reddiarpalayam constituency in 2001, no other BJP candidate has succeeded in elections here.

Hence, Namassivayam is expected to be the party’s face in the campaigns ahead of polls in Puducherry, where at least 60 per cent of residents belong to the Vanniyar caste. The 52-year-old legislator started his political career in the 90s with the DMK. He subsequently switched over to MDMK and unsuccessfully contested from Oulgaret in the 1996 elections. When veteran leader P Kannan floated the TMC, Namassivayam joined TMC and won for the first time from Oulgaret constituency in 2001.

Following the merger of TMC with Congress, he became a Congress member and since then won all Assembly elections. It is widely believed that Namassivayam switched loyalties to pursue his ambition of becoming the CM.

The Congress had initially projected him as the CM candidate in the 2016 poll campaigns, but V Narayanasamy, who did not even contest the polls went on to head the cabinet. Namassivayam was placated by offering plum ministerial portfolios and Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee chief post. Yet, differences between him and Narayanasamy were apparent.

Even if the BJP wants to project him as the CM face, obstacles are aplenty. The party is in alliance with NR Congress and AIADMK, both major players in Puducherry politics. NR Congress President N Rangasamy is a former chief minister and the present Opposition leader. He also has the support of seven party MLAs.

The AIADMK too has four MLAs. In this scenario, can BJP which has no elected MLA call the shots and decide the alliance’s CM candidate? With JP Nadda slated to visit Puducherry and meet alliance leaders on January 31, the uncertainty may soon die down. BJP sources on Wednesday night said that the two Puducherry legislators will join the party on Thursday.

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