Rangasamy, Puducherry’s longest serving Chief Minister and ace strategist, in race for fifth term

Through the ups and downs of a political career spanning over three decades, four-time Chief Minister and All India NR Congress (AINRC) founder N. Rangasamy remains a force to reckon with in Puducherry politics, as the 75-year-old prepares to lead the National Democratic Alliance’s campaign for re-election in the April 9 Assembly polls.

The law graduate began his political journey in the Indian National Congress in the late 1980s. He went on to become the longest-serving CM of the Union Territory, holding office for over 16 years and earning the epithet, “Makkal Mudhalvar” (CM of the masses).

Mr. Rangasamy is a known admirer of the welfarist agenda of former Tamil Nadu CM K. Kamaraj. Once at a vintage car rally, he excitedly entered a restored Chevrolet Master Deluxe on coming to know that it once seated the pioneer of the mid-day meal scheme in schools.

He has served as Chief Minister twice each as Congress leader and as AINRC supremo. In his current term as Chief Minister, he has been criticised by opponents of only paying lip service to the long-felt aspiration for Statehood. The NDA government was also rocked by allegations of corruption in the issuing of distillery licences, a temple land grab case that led to arrests of government officials, and the expose of a fake drug manufacturing scam with nationwide ramifications.

Mr. Rangasamy has also found himself up against the BJP in having his way in certain administrative matters, often complaining of working with “his hands tied”, in a veiled reference to alleged overreach by the Lok Nivas. On some occasions, he held his ground too, from blocking the precedent of creating a Deputy CM post for the BJP, to preserving his prerogative to determine Cabinet berths.

Mr. Rangasamy’s political journey didn’t start on an easy note. His electoral debut in 1990 culminated in a defeat when he narrowly lost to Janata Dal candidate V. Pethaperumal in the election to the Thattanchavady Assembly constituency.

During this low point, Mr. Rangasamy, on a friend’s advice, sought the blessings of a seer in Salem, Appa Paithiyam Swamy. It is said that the guru convinced him to remain in politics, predicting a bright future.

In a change of luck since, Mr. Rangasamy saw a string of victories from the same seat. He pocketed Thattanchavady for consecutive terms – in 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006 – turning him into a devout follower of the saint.

Following his win in 1991, Mr. Rangasamy was inducted into the Congress Ministry headed by CM V. Vaithilingam as Minister of Agriculture, and later served as Education Minister in the P. Shanmugam government in 2000. In 2016, he functioned as the Leader of Opposition.

Mr. Rangasamy was sworn in as the Congress CM for the first time in 2001, becoming the first person from the influential Vanniyar community to occupy the top post.

The Thattanchavady constituency, which he went on to cultivate as a personal fiefdom – so much so that at one point, critics dubbed him the “CM of Thattanchavady” – would continue to play a pivotal role in his political fortunes. Incidentally, it was the very constituency that pitchforked him to the CM’s chair for a record fourth term after the 2021 elections.

However, in his second tenure as CM in 2006, serious strife in the Cabinet and differences with colleagues who accused him of diverting all development projects to Thattanchavady at the cost of other Assembly segments, culminated in his ouster in 2008.

Mr. Rangasamy remained aloof from the Congress since the ignominy. He later stepped down as MLA and told the media that he took the decision owing to his displeasure at “the way the government treated my constituency”.

Just months before the 2011 Assembly election, Mr. Rangasamy formed his own party, the AINRC, which romped home winning 15 of the 17 seats it contested. He went on to form the government with the support of one Independent, cold- shouldering alliance partner, the AIADMK.

For a long while since then, the AIADMK nursed a grudge against Mr. Rangasamy for what former Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa called in 2011 as “betrayal” – for reneging on a pre-poll power-sharing promise.

This was hardly the only time that political circles got a sense of the shrewd, calculating politician behind the mild-mannered, man-of-simplicity demeanour. Once, when he faced dissidence from his party MLAs to his nominee for a Rajya Sabha vacancy while serving as CM in 2015, he didn’t bat an eyelid in having the candidate hastily inducted into the AIADMK and elected to the Upper House – a win-win for Mr. Rangasamy, who quelled the rebellion, and for the AIADMK, which pounced on the chance to deny arch rival, the DMK, a chance to field an Independent candidate with the support of a faction of the ruling party and the Congress.

A master political strategist or rank opportunist? The response depends on who you ask.

Published – March 30, 2026 10:03 pm IST