PUDUCHERRY: The Rajya Sabha election to the lone seat from Puducherry Union Territory was notified on Wednesday, but the ruling NDA is yet to reach a consensus on which party candidate to field, even as the Opposition DMK-Congress alliance is unlikely to contest the seat.
NDA allies AINRC and BJP seem to be engaged in a cat and mouse game, with both waiting for the other side to make the first move for discussions. There has been no discussion so far, sources in AINRC said. BJP’s Karnataka Vice-President and in-charge of Puducherry, Nirmal Kumar Surana, visited Puducherry last week but there was no meeting between him and Chief minister N Rangasamy, the founder-president of AINRC. Matters may drag on till the final day of filing of nominations on September 22.
However, Surana told TNIE that he would be visiting Puducherry this weekend, either on Sunday or Monday and finalise matters related to Rajya Sabha elections. The BJP is interested in the seat to inflate its strength in Rajya Sabha while Rangasamy is determined to field a candidate from his own party as BJP partymen were appointed to all the three posts of nominated MLAs in the Puducherry Assembly without him being consulted.
While former minister Malladi Krishna Rao (MKR) seems to be strong a contender with the backing of the CM, the BJP has several aspirants. “I am hoping the Chief minister will provide me with the opportunity to contest the Rajya Sabha seat and serve the UT,” MKR, who had announced his retirement from electoral politics in the UT, told TNIE. “I have served as MLA and Minister for 32 years. I hope to serve the UT as a Parliamentarian and be better than all predecessors.”
During MKR’s felicitation function on completion of 25 years as MLA, even Home Minister and BJP Legislative party leader A Namassivayam showered praise on MKR stating that he has managed to get the most funds from Central government for Puducherry in the last five years. Whether MKR would be accepted by the BJP as an AINRC nominee or BJP nominee (since MKR is not a member of any political party officially) or a different candidate is fielded, only time will tell.
‘Only elected mlas can vote’
Puducherry: The Election Commission of India has clarified that only elected members of the Legislative Assembly are eligible to vote in the Rajya Sabha elections in the UT. The BJP has three nominated MLAs in the Puducherry Assembly