BJP to get Speaker’s post, 2 Cabinet berths in Puducherry

Ending the stalemate, the All India N R Congress (AINRC) on Wednesday agreed to allot the post of Puducherry Assembly Speaker to its junior partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which will also get two Cabinet berths.

Puducherry BJP chief V Saminathan told reporters on Wednesday evening that all issues between the party and AINRC have been resolved. “BJP nominee will be the Speaker of Puducherry Assembly, while the number of ministers who will be part of the (N) Rangasamy Cabinet will be announced by the High Command,” he said.

Sources in the know told DH that the BJP will get two Cabinet berths in the Rangasamy ministry. “We have agreed for two ministers, and the post of Speaker. The discussion and deliberation cannot continue endlessly. It has been a month already since the results were announced, and it is high time the ministers swear-in,” a source told DH.

Also read — Differences between AINRC, BJP delay Puducherry cabinet expansion

After weeks of deliberation, it seems the two parties agreed on a give and take policy – while AINRC gave up its reluctance to give Speaker’s post to BJP, the saffron party is believed to have dropped its demand to designate one of the ministers as deputy chief minister.

Saminathan said the month-old Rangasamy Cabinet will be expanded in the next few days. The source quoted above said the Cabinet expansion will be announced after the final round of discussions between the BJP and AINRC is held probably on Friday.

Persisting differences between the two parties had delayed the Cabinet expansion – only Rangasamy took oath on May 7 – with both parties sticking to their known stands.

BJP’s “unilateral” decision to nominate three party leaders to the Assembly without consulting him – the appointments were made when the Chief Minister was being treated for Covid-19 at a private hospital in Chennai – was said to be one of the reasons behind Rangasamy’s adamant stand vis-à-vis the saffron party.

The AINRC won 10 seats, while the BJP emerged victorious in six seats and its strength in the Assembly now stands at nine, thanks to the Centre’s power to appoint three nominated members. The DMK won six seats, Congress two, and Independents six.

The BJP, which lost all seats it contested in the 2016 Assembly polls, allied with AINRC, and AIADMK for the April 6 elections. The party which lacked a toehold in the Union Territory till a few months ago poached a few senior Congress leaders and gave them seats to contest.

The BJP also got nine seats in the alliance much higher than AIADMK, which had four members in the previous Assembly, the party drew a blank this time.