Congress-DMK alliance wins Puducherry

Ruling AINRC wins eight seats, became second largest party in the Assembly

The Congress-DMK alliance is set to form a government in Puducherry, providing a silver lining in an otherwise gloomy scenario for the Congress.

Congress has emerged as single largest party with 15 seats. Together, the Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alliance, which contested both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry assembly elections, has won 17 of 30 seats.

“I congratulate the people of Puducherry for giving the party the mandate,” said Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

The All India N R Congress (AINRC), which ruled the Union Territory for the last five years, won only eight seats, emerging as the second largest party in the assembly. All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), which fielded 30 candidates in the Union Territory, has seen success of four candidates. The N R Congress and AIADMK broke that alliance after the 2011 election.

Prominent among the successful Congress candidates were former chief minister and leader of the opposition in the outgoing assembly V Vaithilingam (Kamaraj Nagar) and Pradesh Congress Committee President A Namassivayam (Villianur).

Independent V Ramachandran, backed by the People’s Welfare Alliance (PWA), defeated Congress heavyweight E Valsaraj in Mahe.

In 2011 Assembly election, AINRC won 15 seats, AIADMK won five seats, Congress won seven seats, DMK got two seats, while one seat was won by an Independent.

PROMISES TO KEEP

1. Promised 50% reservation for women in local bodies and a job for each household and to obtain special statehood status for Puducherry. The party also promised to enact a law to provide employment for a person in each family in the territory
2. Promised to conduct caste-based census and reserve education and employment opportunities based on the population of different castes
3. Government will bear the tuition fees of students of professional colleges who studied in government schools in the last five preceding years. It promises to regularise fee structure in private schools.
4. Party promises 30kg rice and 5kg wheat free of cost for all ration cardholders and will provide set-top boxes free of cost to all cable television connections and ensure uniform monthly cable charges. It will reduce the power tariff by 50%. Moreover, the consumers will pay based on units of power consumed and other miscellaneous charges will be borne by the government.
5. Goondas Act in a bid to maintain law and order and put an end to the antisocial elements in the territory