'AINRC candidate is NDA nominee from Puducherry LS seat'

Confusion continued to prevail over the NDA's candidate for the lone Lok Sabha seat here, with BJP and ruling AINRC stating that the latter's candidate is the official nominee, three days after another ally PMK announced it would field a nominee from the seat.
Speaking at a joint press conference here, BJP's Puducherry committee president M Visweswaran and Chief Minister and AINRC founder N Rangasamy said the ruling party's candidate, former Assembly Speaker R Radhakrishnan, is the official NDA nominee.
They pointed out that BJP president Rajnath Singh had himself stated during his recent visit to Chennai that the seat had been earmarked for AINRC.

The fielding of the AINRC candidate is final and leaves no room for any change, they said.
Visweswaran said all NDA constituents here would strive hard for the win of the AINRC nominee and campaigning would commence in the next few days.
When his attention was drawn to PMK local unit organiser R K R Anandaraman's recent announcement that he would contest the poll, he reiterated the NDA's stand and urged that party to reconsider and extend cooperation to the combine.

Rangasamy said he would call on PMK founder S Ramadoss soon to ensure that the party extended full cooperation.

Visweswaran said BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi had been invited to address a rally and the exact date of his visit would be known shortly.
On March 21, Anandaraman's had stated he would contest the poll and not to go back on his decision, sparking a reaction from BJP, which said it was causing "unnecessary confusion, embarrassment and chaos".
The PMK leader's announcement came after Rangasamy stated on March 12 that AINRC would contest the poll and that Radhakrishnan was the AINRC nominee.