PUDUCHERRY: After days of negotiations between NDA allies BJP and AINRC over contesting Puducherry’s lone Rajya Sabha seat, the matter has finally been settled, with the BJP deciding to nominate former MLA S Selvaganapathy to contest the poll.
Selvaganapathy, who has an RSS background, was earlier nominated as an MLA to the Puducherry Legislative Assembly. He is an educationist and the correspondent of Vivekananda Higher Secondary School in Puducherry.
The AINRC, which was expecting to contest the seat after the BJP nominated three of its men to the Legislative Assembly, finally had to accept the BJP’s desire to contest the seat in the alliance. This was settled after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Monday. Rangasamy, who heads the UT government, which is directly under the Ministry of Home Affairs, could not refuse the prime minister. He only insisted that the candidate be from Puducherry, which Modi accepted, sources said.
Rangasamy, who is also the party president, held late-night discussions with senior leaders, MLAs of his party, and three independents, and briefed them on the BJP’s desire to contest the seat following his interaction with the prime minister. The MLAs adopted a resolution empowering the chief minister to take a decision.
Rangasamy later granted his acceptance for the BJP to contest the polls, and this was conveyed to the BJP’s national leaders. The BJP had shortlisted GNS Vasudevan from Karaikal, the brother of GNS Rajasekaran, the BJP candidate who unsuccessfully contested the last Assembly election from Thirunallar, and S Selvaganapathy. Though the chief minister desired that his partyman Dr K Narayanasamy be fielded as the BJP nominee, the BJP decided on Selvaganapathy, sources said. Sevaganapathy will file his nomination on Wednesday, the last day to do so.
The BJP has six elected members, and with the support of three independents, has a strength of nine members, while the AINRC has 10 elected members. Together, they have 19 MLAs who are eligible to vote in the Rajya Sabha polls. The DMK and Congress have eight members, and there are three independents who haven’t extended support to the NDA. Malladi Krishna Rao, who sought to get elected to the Rajya Sabha, and assisted the AINRC in the Assembly elections, has been left high and dry.
‘Chosen because of educationist background’
Though the CM sought for Dr K Narayanasamy be fielded, Selvaganapathy was chosen based on seniority in the party and his background as an educationist, said a source