PUDUCHERRY: The Tamil Nadu Congress's desire to contest alone by breaking away from the DMK has sent ripples in Puducherry as it could alter the entire political scenario in the Union territory.
Both the Congress as well as the BJP in Puducherry are a worried lot as they observe the developments. For the Congress, its alliance with the DMK is unlikely to continue in Puducherry in case of snapping of ties in Tamil Nadu. The party which has been hard hit by the exodus of MLAs and senior leaders to the BJP and NR Congress has been banking on the support from the DMK and other allies to fight the BJP and its allies in the upcoming election.
On the other hand, the BJP which is aiming to come to power in the UT with AIADMK and NR Congress, may lose the NR Congress, which it needs to put up a formidable alliance to win the elections. If the DMK-Congress alliance breaks, the NR Congress, which is threatening to break away from the NDA and contest the polls alone, is expected to join hands with the DMK.
In the recent past, the DMK has also shown interest in allying with the NR Congress, if the party came out of the NDA. The three conveners S P Sivakumar, R Siva and AMH Nazeem had called on party leader M K Stalin and wanted him to permit the Puducherry DMK to ally with the NR Congress or go it alone. The Puducherry DMK has already expressed its opposition to allying with Congress and had even cold shouldered the party for some time. But with the intervention of the Congress and DMK leaderships, the issues were sorted out.
On the other hand, NR Congress founder President N Rangasamy after being unhappy with the BJP over the seat sharing as well as the lack of assurance on the post of Chief Minister to him, has been waiting for an alternative political alliance or go it alone. He has been keenly watching the developments in Tamil Nadu, while buying time by going on spiritual tours seeking divine blessings.
In this scenario, the DMK had invited N R Congress president N Rangasamy to lead the Secular Democratic Alliance (SDA) of the Congress, DMK, Left parties, VCK and other political outfits. DMK Karaikal Convener A M H Nazeem a former minister, while sending the invitation to Rangasamy, pointed out that by allying with the NDA, the NR Congress could not win any of the four elections (Lok Sabha polls and byelections in Nellithope, Thattanchavady and Kamarajar Nagar) in Puducherry since 2016.
Considering the welfare of the state and its culture, the secular forces should function unitedly, he said, adding that this will help the formation of a secular government. If the alliance emerges victorious, Rangsamy could become the Chief Minister. While Rangasamy does not want to have any truck with the Congress as the party had removed him as Chief Minister in 2008, it is most desirous of an alliance with the DMK and its allies.