VP Ramalingam set to take over as Puducherry BJP chief today

Puducherry, June 30 (IANS) Industrialist-turned-politician V.P. Ramalingam will be formally announced as the new president of the Puducherry state unit of the BJP on Monday.

Ramalingam, who resigned as a nominated MLA on Friday, was the sole candidate to file nomination papers on Sunday, clearing the path for his unopposed election.

M.K. Akhilan, the BJP’s Puducherry state returning officer, said Ramalingam’s nomination was accepted after scrutiny. The formal announcement will be made by BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh during his visit to Puducherry on Monday.

Aged 63, Ramalingam is the Managing Director of the Sri Sabthagiri Group of Companies. He joined the BJP in 2021 and was subsequently nominated as an MLA following the formation of the AINRC-BJP coalition government.

His appointment is widely seen as a reward for the political loyalty of his elder brother, former Speaker V.P. Sivakozhunthu, a Congress MLA who played a crucial role in toppling the Congress-DMK government ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls.

Although Ramalingam has limited organisational experience, party sources said that he will be guided by senior strategists as he takes charge ahead of the next Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, the BJP is also set to secure a cabinet berth in the N. Rangasamy-led government. The Chief Minister told reporters on Sunday that he had recommended the name of a BJP MLA for induction as minister, though he did not reveal the nominee’s name.

According to party sources, senior BJP leader A. John Kumar is likely to be inducted. A former Congress MLA from the minority Christian community, Kumar defected to the BJP in 2021. He is considered instrumental in strengthening the BJP in Puducherry by helping the party secure two Assembly seats in 2021 -- one for himself and another for his son, Vivilian Richards.

Kumar’s likely appointment is seen as a reward for his role in toppling the previous Congress government and as a step to quell internal dissent within the BJP’s ranks. Kumar, along with MLAs P.M.L. Kalyanasundaram, P. Angalan, Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok, and M. Sivakankar, had earlier formed a dissident bloc demanding greater representation.

--IANS

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