Puducherry floor test: CM meets Congress, DMK MLAs to discuss strategy

New Delhi, Feb 21: Ahead of crucial floor test in Puducherry Assembly on Monday, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy held a meeting with Congress and DMK MLAs to discuss further strategy.

Addresing the reporters, Narayanasamy said "I held a meeting with ministers, MLAs of Congress and DMK, MPs and other party leaders today. We discussed the strategy to be adopted in the Legislative Assembly tomorrow. We have decided to disclose our strategy on the floor of the House."

Earlier, in the day, two more MLAs of the Congress- DMK alliance in Puducherry resigned on Sunday, delivering yet another jolt to the Congress government.

The resignation by Congress MLA K Lakshminarayanan and DMK legislator Venkatesan further reduced the strength of the ruling alliance to 11, while the opposition has 14 MLAs in the 33-member assembly, which has seven vacancies.

Four Congress MLAs--including ex-ministers A Namassivayam (now in BJP) and Malladi Krishna Rao had quit, while another party legislator was earlier disqualified.

Narayanasamy's confidante A John Kumar had resigned this week.

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, handed over additional charge of Puducherry, had on Thursday directed Narayanasamy to prove majority by ordering a floor test on February 22.

The resignation of two MLAs' comes on a day when the ruling party members are slated to meet under the CM to discuss the future course of action, though similar discussions on February 18 yielded no results.