Pudu Assembly to be a mix of young and old

The 30 members elected to the Puducherry assembly are a mix of first-time legislators and veteran old timers making a comeback as the 12-year long Congress rule came to an end in the Union Territory.

The Assembly will have nine first-time MLAs along with a host of veterans that will reenter the House after varied periods of absence.

Of the nine new entrants to the Assembly, six were elected on All India NR Congress (AINRC) tickets, from Mannadipet, Thattanchavady, Lawspet, Kalapet, Orleampet and Oussudu. The Nettapakkam and Mudaliarpet constituencies have returned freshers on AIADMK tickets while Karaikal (north) has returned a first timer on a Congress ticket.

Former chief minister N Rangasamy had yesterday led the AINRC he formed shortly before the polls, to power as the party won 15 seats and its ally AIADMK five.

Congress ended with a tally of seven and DMK two. DMK rebel V M C Shivakumar won the Neravi T R Pattinam segment.

With regard to the first-time MLAs, former minister Theni C Jeyakumar (Congress) will have to contend with seeing his nephew and first-time legislator Ashok Anand (AINRC) on the treasury side after his party slumped to defeat in the polls.

AIADMK's state unit secretary A Anbalagan on the contrary will have beside him for company his younger brother A Baskar, who was elected from Mudaliarpet. While Anbalagan was elected for the third time in a row, Baskar is a first-timer.

Among the veterans making a comeback to the Assembly, P Purushothaman of AIADMK returns to the House after 26 years following his election from the newly-created Manavely constituency. Purushothaman was a member of the Assembly from Ariyankuppam in 1985.

V Sabapathy, elected on AINRC ticket from Ariyankuppam, is returning to the Assembly after 15 years. A four-time legislator who was elected from Mudaliarpet in 1974, 1977, 1980 and 1985, he lost his seat to a CPI candidate in 1996.

M Chandrakasu, a former Congress minister belonging to Neduncadu in Karaikal, was returned on an AINRC ticket from the segment after a gap of ten years.