The Bharatiya Janata Party has released its first list of candidates for the Puducherry Legislative Assembly elections, naming nominees for 9 of the 10 seats allotted to it. The list was announced by the BJP central office in Delhi following a high-level meeting presided by party national president Nitin Nabin.

 

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, and all members of the Central Election Committee, according to a press note from Arun Singh, BJP national general secretary. 

The BJP list of candidates came after the NDA parties reached an agreement for seat sharing for Puducherry polls on Friday. As per the seat sharing agreement, All India NR Congress will contest 16 seats, BJP will contest 10 seats while All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Latchiya Jananayaka party will contest two seats each.

 

The BJP list released yesterday includes Home Minister Namasivayam from Mannadipet, State President V.P. Ramalingam from Raj Bhavan, Minister John Kumar from Mudaliarpet, Assembly Speaker R.Selvam from Manavely, P M L Kalyanasundaram from Kalapet, G N S Rajasekaran from Thirunallar, A. Dineshan from Mahe, TKSM Meenatchisundaram from Neravy-TR Pattinam and E. Theepainthan from Osudu constituency. Meanwhile, a total of 135 nominations are filed so far in Puducherry union territory for the assembly general elections.

 

Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, ministers and Opposition leader R.Siva are among the major leaders who filed their nominations. Yesterday, being a public holiday on account of Ramzan in Puducherry, Karaikal, and Yanam, nomination filing remained suspended in these regions. However, as Mahe observed on a working day, nominations were accepted only there. Tomorrow is the last date for filing nominations in Puducherry