Puducherry CM yet to announce AINRC's poll strategy

Puducherry, Apr 14: Even as most political parties in this Union Territory have announced their strategy for the May 16 assembly polls, the ruling AINRC is keeping everyone guessing as it is yet to spell out its plans.

The Congress-DMK combine has already reached a seat- sharing pact and AIADMK has announced candidates for all 30 seats, while the five-party People's Welfare Alliance has also finalised the number of seats to be contested by them.

But Chief Minister N Rangasamy is yet to announce the strategy of his All India N R Congress and is on a pilgrimage for the last two weeks visiting various shrines in Tamil Nadu seeking divine blessings.

He has also visited a temple dedicated to his spiritual guru Appa Pythiasamy in Salem district as he always does before taking crucial decisions.

AINRC stormed to power in 2011 Assembly polls in alliance with AIADMK months after it was founded by Rangasamy, who broke away from Congress.

However, the alliance did not last long as Rangasamy ditched the AIADMK and formed the government with the outside support of the lone Independent member V M C Sivakumar.

AIADMK has now announced its candidates for all the 30 constituencies virtually shutting its doors on AINRC. Incidentally, AIADMK had won the recent Rajya Sabha election from the Union Territory with the support of AINRC, as Rangasamy agreed for the understanding facing a rebellion in his party then.

BJP which contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election in alliance with AINRC is likely to contest the poll on its own. Congress, eyeing to capture power, is contesting in 21 seats leaving the remaining nine to DMK.

The run-up to the polls also witnessed some key personalities switching their loyalties to other parties. Former Home Minister P Kannan, who had contested the polls in the past on Congress ticket, has joined the AIADMK.

He has been fielded in Raj Bhavan constituency, where Congress veteran and former union minister V Narayanasamy or senior leader K Lakshmi Narayanan is likely to contest.

Sivakumar, who annexed the T R Pattinam seat in Karaikal as an Independent in the 2011 polls, has also joined the AIADMK and seeks re-election from the same segment.

PTI