Puducherry Assembly polls | Narayanasamy rules out possibility of being CM; says will work to strengthen party

Narayanasamy also said the defining issue of the Assembly election this time was statehood for Puducherry.

Senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy on Tuesday ruled out any possibility of him taking on the mantle of chief ministership if the Congress-led alliance comes to power in Puducherry, saying he would turn down such an offer and would work 24X7 to strengthen the party in the Union Territory. The former Puducherry Chief Minister’s remarks come days after his name did not figure in the list of 14 candidates announced by the Congress for the Assembly polls and he asserted that he was not contesting the April 6 elections as there was a need to coordinate poll-related works and programmes of the party in the Union Territory. In a telephonic interview with PTI, Mr. Narayanasamy also said the defining issue of the Assembly election this time was statehood for Puducherry and while the Congress was strongly behind the demand, the BJP manifesto was silent on it. He also alleged that BJP wanted to create a Delhi-like situation in Puducherry and take power away from an elected government.