Puducherry Assembly Election: Congress faces turbulent campaign in Karaikal amid alliance strains, dissent

Despite contesting three constituencies in Karaikal in the April 9 Assembly elections, the Congress finds itself on a sticky wicket, grappling with alliance frictions, organisational challenges, and rebellion.

The party enters the fray with a weakened recent record — having failed to secure a single seat in the three constituencies it contested in 2021, even as its ally, the DMK, won two. The imbalance had triggered negotiations this time, with the DMK pressing for an additional seat in Karaikal. However, the Congress retained its ground, setting the stage for early tensions within the alliance.

Friction surfaced even before seat-sharing was finalised when the Congress went ahead and filed nominations in all five Karaikal constituencies while the DMK restricted itself to the two segments it currently holds. Though the alliance high command later intervened, the damage lingered. Only one Congress nominee withdrew, while another — A.V.S. Sakthivel Prabu — stayed in the fray in Karaikal South in Congress symbol directly contesting against DMK’s MLA A.M.H. Nazeem.

Mr. Prabu, son of former Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee president A.V. Subramanian, was expelled from the party for defying its directive. In a significant setback, Mr. Subramanian subsequently resigned from the party, underscoring the depth of the internal rift.

On the ground, the Congress has fielded a mix of candidates, reflecting both continuity and attempted renewal. In Karaikal North, A.M. Ranjith from Youth Congress has been nominated, though his electoral appeal remains untested. In the reserved Nedungadu constituency, where the Congress has struggled historically, Dinesh Kumar remains in the fray after the nomination of his wife Kaviyarasi was rejected.

In Thirunallar, former Minister and vice-president of the Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee R. Kamalakannan faces a tough contest against BJP’s G.N.S. Rajasekaran. Mr. Kamalakannan lost the previous election by 1,380 votes and this time a closely fought battle is expected.

Acknowledging the challenges, Mr. Kamalakannan told The Hindu that alliance negotiations “could have been handled more smoothly,” but maintained that the party was attempting internal reforms. He pointed to the decision not to field former Chief Minister V. Vaithilingam as an indication of generational change, alongside the induction of younger candidates.

“We may not have the money power, but we have silent voters with conviction, particularly against the BJP,” he said and expressed confidence about both his prospects and the alliance’s performance. Citing his track record, he added that sustained protests and constituency-level interventions over the past five years had helped address several public grievances.

Even so, with organisational discord, alliance unease, and a resurgent opposition, the Congress faces an uphill battle in Karaikal, where electoral arithmetic and internal cohesion may ultimately prove decisive.