Rift widens in ruling, opposition fronts in Pondy; AINRC chief skips alliance meet

Puducherry: The rift has deepened in the ruling AINRC-BJP alliance as well as the opposition Congress-DMK front in Puducherry. While NDA alliance is facing friction over inclusion of Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), founded by Jose Charles Martin, son of the prominent lottery magnate Santiago Martin, Congress and DMK are on a collision course over seat-sharing. AINRC founder and chief minister N Rangasamy skipped the meeting called by Union minister Mansukh L Mandaviya at a hotel in Puducherry on Tuesday to resolve the issue. Mandaviya left for Delhi on the same day along with Speaker of the legislative assembly R Selvam, home minister A Namassivayam (BJP), and BJP president V P Ramalingam to brief the high command on the present political scenario. AINRC second rung leaders said the party, despite leading NDA in Puducherry, will walk out of the alliance if their demand to drop LJK was not met. Though AINRC and BJP had agreed on the 16:14 seat-sharing formula in the 30-member assembly, AINRC founder N Rangasamy has opposed BJP's decision to allot two seats to LJK from within its 14-seat quota. AINRC functionaries said Rangasamy was wary of LJK's inclusion feeling the association with the son of the lottery baron could damage his reputation and alienate the local electorate. The situation in the opposition Secular Progressive Alliance was even more volatile. Congress was particular about contesting 21 seats, leaving just nine to its ally DMK, while DMK insisted on 15 seats AICC in-charge of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Girish Chodankar had conveyed to Puducherry DMK coordinator S Jagathrakshakan and local DMK leaders that the party has proposed to contest 21 seats. Jagathrakshakan, meanwhile, told reporters that DMK would not drop its demand of contesting in 15 seats. He said that DMK will contest all 30 seats if there is no consensus between the two parties.