Congress loses majority in Puducherry months ahead of elections

Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy (Image courtesy: Twitter/@VNarayanasami)

With four MLAs resigning over the past two days and one getting disqualified, the Congress government in Puducherry has lost majority support just months ahead of elections.

Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy’s government comprised of 15 members of the Congress party, three of DMK, and one independent. His government was just past the majority mark of the 33-member Assembly, reported News18.

Now, with only 10 members of the Congress party remaining, both the government and the Opposition stand at 14. Which means, Narayanasamy’s government is one short of the majority mark -- 15 – as the Assembly strength has dropped to 28.

Notably, the exits came right ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the union territory of Puducherry on February 17 to chart out the strategy for the May elections.

The Puducherry Chief Minister will likely be addressing the media after holding a meeting with his alliance partners soon. He is expected to announce the en masse resignation at the press meet.