Puducherry Assembly election: Issues within INDIA bloc being ironed out, says Congress leader

Acknowledging certain differences within the INDIA bloc over seat-sharing for the April 9 Assembly polls in Puducherry, Karnataka Health Minister and senior Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao on Monday (March 30, 2026) said the issues in the alliance are being ironed out by the party leadership.

Addressing a press conference at the party office in Puducherry, he said the INDIA bloc would come to power in the Union Territory (UT) because the voters are “dissatisfied” with the AINRC-BJP government.

Asked whether the discord among the alliance partners of the INDIA bloc would impact the electoral prospects of the parties, Mr. Rao said: “There were issues during the seat-sharing talks. As our prospects are bright, many people expressed enthusiasm to contest. Now, we are in the battlefield. Our senior leadership is trying to sort out the problems,” he said. 

In as many as six Assembly constituencies, the candidates of the Congress and the DMK are contesting against each other. Similarly, there are constituencies where the Congress, DMK, CPI, and CPI(M) – all part of the same alliance – have fielded candidates.

Mr. Rao expressed confidence in finding a solution to the problems arising out of the direct face-off between the partners of the INDIA bloc. “There are ways to deal with such situations, and the Congress general secretary in-charge will address those issues,” he said. 

According to him, the AINRC-BJP government had failed to deliver on all promises given to the voters. While the AINRC had promised to get Statehood for Puducherry, its ally, the BJP, had assured that it would secure the special category status for the UT during the 2021 polls. However, both assurances only remain on paper. 

“Apart from their failure to fulfil election promises, the five-year tenure of the AINRC-BJP saw several scams, including the manufacture of fake medicines. The voters will give a fitting reply to the misrule of the ruling party,” he said.