JOIN USBJP grows stronger in Puducherry as 3 party men nominated as MLAs
Three BJP leaders have been appointed as nominated MLAs to the Puducherry Assembly, taking the party's strength in the Assembly to 10 including the support of an Independent. This puts the party's strength in the 33-member Assembly, including three nominated MLAs, on par with the All India NR Congress, which has 10 elected legislators.
A notification from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said K Venkatesan, V P Ramalingam, and R B Ashok Babu have been appointed as nominated members of the Assembly.
While Venkatesan is a former DMK MLA, Ramalingam is the brother of ex-Assembly Speaker V P Sivakozhundu who announced that the V Narayanasamy government had lost majority on the floor of the House on February 22, 2021. Babu is a local BJP leader and an advocate.
The MLAs, though nominated, are counted as members of the BJP, and it is only due to the support of the three nominated MLAs that the Opposition parties destabilised the Narayanasamy government. The appointment of nominated MLAs comes at a time new Chief Minister N Rangasamy is being treated for Covid-19 at a private hospital in Chennai.
All eyes are now on the BJP, which was expecting the Chief Minister's post for party nominee, but conceded to Rangasamy's demands last week, and allowed him to be sworn-in as the CM. With an independent MLA from Yanam pledging support, the BJP and AINRC have 10 MLAs each.
BJP, which did not have a toehold in the Union Territory till a few months back, won 6 seats in the April 6 Assembly elections.