Puducherry: The NR Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and AIADMK alliance on Sunday emerged triumphant in Puducherry Assembly Elections.
The All India NR Congress bagged 10 seats and about 25.8 per cent of the total vote share, while the BJP won six, about 13 per cent. The AIADMK drew a blank but managed to gather 4.14 per cent of the total votes. While independents won six seats, the Indian National Congress, whose government collapsed before completing its five-year tenure under Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, won two seats. The DMK, who fought the polls in alliance with Congress, managed to win six seats.
The polls in Puducherry took place on April 6 after the local government in the union land was barred in February this year. The NDA vote share in Puducherry has increased up to 30 per cent this time compared to 2016. The single-phase Assembly polling in Puducherry had a voter turnout of 81.70 per cent, according to the Election Commission of India.
Here is the list of winners in Pudcherry Assembly Elections 2021:
DECISIVE FACTOR
The BJP believed Puducherry is the facilitator for it to make inroads into South, especially in Tamil Nadu, the last province that is yet to be breached. Fighting the assembly elections on behalf of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), was the All India NR Congress, a faction that broke away from the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) 10 years back and won the election to form the government.
The Congress party that was ousted from power took the strategy to wait-and-watch about their plans, especially when their talk with the DMK in Tamil Nadu were struggling to find a middle way. Soon after the polls were declared, in fact a few days before Rahul Gandhi's rally in the Union Territory, BJP installed Tamilisai Soundararajan as the LG. Puducherry later hit by a severe cyclonic storm and the response of both local government and the Centre had fallen short of the people's expectations.
Apart from these traditional political factors that played in Puducherry, the key element was the power of liquor. Multiple sources in Puducherry believe that what had led to the removal of Bedi from Lt Governor post was also the power of this liquor lobby.
SOCIAL WELFARE SCHEMES
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also released its ‘impressive’ manifesto. As part of its poll promises, the party stated that it will make 2,50,000 new jobs for youth, give financial aid of Rs 6,000 per year for all fishermen and distribute free scooters to girls following higher education if elected to power.
The manifesto assured to provide top-up support worth Rs 2,000 to farmers under the PM KISAN scheme. It also assured Mudra loans for street fish vendors and an increase of 'lean period' grant from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000 during the period when fishing is banned. The party stated 30 per cent reservation will be given for Puducherry-based students in government and private colleges and all government vacancies will be made for them.
The party also promised to ensure that there is 50 per cent of women employees in all government and public sector companies. Apart from this, the saffron party assured, interest-free loan up to Rs 5,00,000 for women-run self-help groups, free sanitary napkin vending machines in all public places, Anganwadis and shops under public distribution system (PDS) were also promised.
Meanwhile, after the NR Congress, BJP and AIDMK alliance crossed the majority mark, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several party leaders thanked the people of the Union Territory.
Bottom line is the Congress failed to regain its last bastion in the South making way for NDA to set form government in Puducherry.
