Puducherry election 2026: Why did AINRC abandon its preconditions to seal seat-sharing deal, asks former MP

The AINRC’s quiet abandonment of its two conditions, most importantly securing a commitment for Puducherry’s Statehood from the NDA leadership, for finalising the seat-sharing agreement in the alliance was concerning, M. Ramadass, former MP and founder president of the Puducherry Maanila Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam said.

In a statment, Mr. Ramadass said it was more or less well known that Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, AINRC founder, had placed two specific and important conditions before entering into an electoral understanding—one for a guarantee on the long-pending and emotionally significant demand for Statehood for Puducherry, and the other against the inclusion of Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi (LJK) in the alliance.

Mr. Ramadass felt that these being hardly minor political points, and issues that go to the very heart of Puducherry’s political identity and future, they had resonated with the public. In fact, when Mr. Rangasamy evaded direct negotiations with the BJP leaders, the perception was that he was willing to sacrifice the alliance if these demands were unmet.

What is, therefore, deeply disturbing is the manner in which these firmly stated two conditions were suddenly withdrawn within a matter of two days, without any explanation to the people, he said.

“Such an abrupt reversal creates an impression that positions taken in public are not backed by conviction, but are subject to change under pressure or convenience”.

According to the former MP, the demand for Statehood was not an incidental issue for the NR Congress, rather one of the central reasons for the formation of the party itself. In this context, the people of Puducherry were led to believe that this demand would be pursued with determination and clarity.

The abandonment of the position points to the conclusion that the Statehood demand is being reduced to a mere political slogan rather than a serious objective. If this demand is not asserted even at the time of alliance formation, when political leverage is at its peak, it is difficult to see when and how it will be meaningfully pursued.

The people of Puducherry have a right to know what transpired within those two days that led to such a dramatic shift in position, he said.