The BJP on Saturday released a list of nine candidates for the April 9 Assembly polls in Puducherry. This came after the ruling AINRC and the BJP-AIADMK combine on Friday reached an agreement for the Assembly polls in the Union territory. While the AINRC will contest 16 seats, the BJP-AIADMK combine will contest the remaining 14 seats.
The saffron party has fielded PML Kalyanasundaram from Kalapet and G N S Rajasekaran from Thirunallar. A Namassivayam will contest from Mannadipet. VP Ramalingame will enter the fray from Rajbhavan while A Johnkumar will contest from Mudaliarpet.
Embalam R Selvam will enter the fray from Manavely, TKSM Meenatchisundaram from Neravy TR Pattinam, and A Dineshan from Mahe.
E Theeppainthan will seek election from Oussudu, a Scheduled Caste reserved seat.
The arrangements were finalised after Chief Minister and AINRC leader N Rangasamy held talks with Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at a private hotel in Puducherry.
The BJP, from its kitty, has allocated two seats each to the AIADMK and the Lakshia Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), AINRC sources said.
Although Rangasamy maintained all along that the LJK, headed by Jose Charles Martin, should not be accommodated in the alliance, the chief minister agreed to include the party in the front following his meeting with Mandaviya.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the AINRC contested 16 seats and won 10, the BJP contested nine seats and won six, while the AIADMK contested five and drew a blank.
The single-phase polling for 30 seats will be held on April 9, and the results will be declared on May 4.
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