<p>Home Minister and party’s face A Namassivayam, Assembly Speaker Embalam R Selvam, and state unit chief V P Ramalingam are some of the prominent names in the first list of candidates released by the BJP for the April 9 assembly elections in Puducherry. Former minister A K Sai J Saravanan Kumar has been denied a seat this time with the party fielding E Theepainthan from Oussudu (SC). </p><p>The party has announced candidates for nine seats of the 10 it has been allotted – the name of the 10thseat is still under discussion between the AINRC and BJP. </p>.'Politically motivated': BJP attacks Rahul over remarks on Uttam Nagar incident.<p>Namassivayam, Selvam, and incumbent legislator PML Kalyanasundaram will seek re-election from Mannadipet, Manavely and Kalapet constituencies respectively, Ramalingam is the candidate in Raj Bhavan, currently held by Public Works Minister K Lakshminarayanan of AINRC.</p><p>A Johnkumar, a close aide of lottery baron Santiago Martin, has been shifted from Kamaraj Nagar to Mudaliarpet. The list comes just two days before the nominations end on March 23. </p><p>Meanwhile, the Congress and DMK are yet to decide on the seat-sharing formula between the two parties due to persisting differences on the number of seats to be contested. While Congress wants the conventional method of party leading the alliance in Puducherry to be restored, the DMK doesn’t want to be a junior partner as it won six seats in 2021 as compared to the national party’s dismal performance of winning just two seats. </p><p>In Chennai, AICC in-charge for Puducherry, Girish Chodankar, told reporters that the Congress was still involved in talks with the DMK over sharing of seats. “The local units of Congress and DMK are still discussing the numbers and we hope to arrive at a decision by Sunday so that our candidates can file nominations on Monday,” a senior Congress leader said. </p><p>Sources in the Congress said the party will not even hesitate to go alone in Puducherry if the DMK doesn’t agree to its proposal of contesting less seats. </p><p>“It has been the practice for a long time that Congress will lead the alliance in Puducherry and the DMK in Tamil Nadu. In 2021 polls, there was an aberration where Congress contested 14 seats and DMK in 13 seats. We cannot accept to that formula once again. We are clear that we will lead the alliance,” another Congress leader added. </p>
<p>Home Minister and party’s face A Namassivayam, Assembly Speaker Embalam R Selvam, and state unit chief V P Ramalingam are some of the prominent names in the first list of candidates released by the BJP for the April 9 assembly elections in Puducherry. Former minister A K Sai J Saravanan Kumar has been denied a seat this time with the party fielding E Theepainthan from Oussudu (SC). </p><p>The party has announced candidates for nine seats of the 10 it has been allotted – the name of the 10thseat is still under discussion between the AINRC and BJP. </p>.'Politically motivated': BJP attacks Rahul over remarks on Uttam Nagar incident.<p>Namassivayam, Selvam, and incumbent legislator PML Kalyanasundaram will seek re-election from Mannadipet, Manavely and Kalapet constituencies respectively, Ramalingam is the candidate in Raj Bhavan, currently held by Public Works Minister K Lakshminarayanan of AINRC.</p><p>A Johnkumar, a close aide of lottery baron Santiago Martin, has been shifted from Kamaraj Nagar to Mudaliarpet. The list comes just two days before the nominations end on March 23. </p><p>Meanwhile, the Congress and DMK are yet to decide on the seat-sharing formula between the two parties due to persisting differences on the number of seats to be contested. While Congress wants the conventional method of party leading the alliance in Puducherry to be restored, the DMK doesn’t want to be a junior partner as it won six seats in 2021 as compared to the national party’s dismal performance of winning just two seats. </p><p>In Chennai, AICC in-charge for Puducherry, Girish Chodankar, told reporters that the Congress was still involved in talks with the DMK over sharing of seats. “The local units of Congress and DMK are still discussing the numbers and we hope to arrive at a decision by Sunday so that our candidates can file nominations on Monday,” a senior Congress leader said. </p><p>Sources in the Congress said the party will not even hesitate to go alone in Puducherry if the DMK doesn’t agree to its proposal of contesting less seats. </p><p>“It has been the practice for a long time that Congress will lead the alliance in Puducherry and the DMK in Tamil Nadu. In 2021 polls, there was an aberration where Congress contested 14 seats and DMK in 13 seats. We cannot accept to that formula once again. We are clear that we will lead the alliance,” another Congress leader added. </p>