‘26% vs 8%’: Congress MP pushes for leading alliance in Puducherry – will DMK concede? | India News
Puducherry, a union territory within Tamil Nadu, will go to polls in April alongside the state. But the growing rift between the Congress and its ally, the DMK – which rules Tamil Nadu despite their alliance – now threatens to spill over into Puducherry months ahead of crucial assembly elections.At the heart of the conflict is the Congress’s demand for a share of power in Tamil Nadu if the DMK-led bloc wins again, with more seats to contest than in 2021. Due to its geographical and cultural proximity to Tamil Nadu, Puducherry is also emerging as a stage for this growing rift.
Manikom Thakur, former Congress president and a close confidant of current Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, has been at the forefront of the party’s push for greater “respect” from the DMK in Tamil Nadu. Now, he is raising his demand for “respect” in Puducherry as well.How realistic is Tagore’s claim? Can he – or the Congress – force the DMK to concede? How likely is DMK to agree? And can the alliance withstand internal tensions as elections approach? Let’s take a closer look.
Congress: A giant of Puducherry politics
Congress dominates politics in Puducherry, a former French colony. Three other parties also formed governments here—DMK, AIADMK and All India NR Congress—but none enjoyed the same level of dominance as the Congress.That dominance is evident in numbers: seven out of 10 Puducherry Chief Ministers hail from the Congress.
- Edouard Gaubert (in office: July 1963–September 1964)
- V Venkatasubba Reddy (September 1964-April 1967)
- MOH Farooq (April 1967–March 1968; March 1985–March 1990)
- V Vaithilingam (July 1991–May 1996; September 2008–May 2011)
- P Shanmugam (March 2000–May 2001; May 2001–October 2001)
- N Rangaswamy (October 2001-May 2006; May 2006-September 2008)
- V Narayanasamy (June 2016-February 2021)
UT’s lone Lok Sabha seat also reflected this political success. The constituency, also called Puducherry, has been contested in 15 general elections since 1967 and the Grand Old Party – either directly or through its parties – has won 11 times.This legacy perhaps explains why the Congress considers Puducherry politically significant. Given its long-standing dominance and the risk of possible defeat, the Congress will be keen to reassert its dominance here.
Manikom Thakur’s ‘26% vs 8%’ salvo
Against the backdrop of political tensions in Tamil Nadu, the first signs of a possible spillover to Puducherry emerged on 6 February. That day, Thakur posted on social media, citing election data to argue that the Congress – and not the DMK – should lead their alliance in Puducherry.
Manikam Tagore
“Will the party with 8% votes lead the coalition? No, the party with 26% votes will lead. Why should talk to the Congress party in alliance? he asked.Also Read | ‘26% votes vs 8% votes’: Congress MP Thakur targets ally DMK; Puducherry unit seeking leadership role in poll-bound UTThe data he refers to is from the 2014 general election. He did not explain why he chose figures from more than a decade ago, specifically from parliamentary elections rather than assembly contests. In that election, the Congress stood second in the Puducherry Lok Sabha seat, while the DMK stood fourth. The Congress candidate, V Narayanasamy, who became Chief Minister two years later and held the position for over four years, got 26.35% of the votes, while DMK’s AMH Nazim got 8.19% and came fourth.DMK’s election in-charge and Lok Sabha MP S Jagatrarakshak’s visit to Puducherry seems to have triggered the current phase. During the tour, he did not meet Congress leaders, and this “snub” with the ongoing conflict in Tamil Nadu seems to have angered Tagore.But beyond the immediate provocation, the larger question is whether his claim is merely rhetorical posturing or grounded in electoral reality.
Congress in Puducherry: Historically dominant – not so much today?
Despite Tagore’s firm stance, the ground reality seems far less encouraging – if not downright alarming – for the Congress in Puducherry, where it was once the dominant political force. While the DMK remains the undisputed leader of the alliance in Tamil Nadu, the Congress is now in a relatively weak position in Puducherry. While it won the Puducherry seat in the two recent general elections, its performance in the 2021 assembly elections was far less impressive. The Congress contested only two out of 14 seats – a steep drop from the 15 out of 21 it won during a successful campaign five years ago. In contrast, the DMK, which contested 13 Assembly constituencies under the seat-sharing system, won six of them – securing the post of Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. The DMK, currently led by Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin, managed only two of the nine seats contested in 2016. Tagore’s comments, therefore, can be read as election-season posturing or as a calculated attempt to pressure the DMK in Puducherry or even Tamil Nadu.
Leverage-less Congress?
The DMK remains a significant political player in Puducherry, while the Congress has been largely marginalized in Tamil Nadu – last holding the post of head of government there in 1967 and leader of the opposition in 1996.The Dravidian chief’s apparent refusal to share power in the southern state – reiterated by Stalin himself – presents a major challenge for the Congress, leaving it to try to assert itself in Puducherry, where its historical influence still exists and where the party was in power as recently as 2021.
We also know that it (power sharing) will not work in Tamil Nadu. This is a problem caused by some people. They are plotting systematically to see if there will be a rift in the alliance.
MK Stalin
However, the Congress’s leverage — or lack thereof — in Tamil Nadu is already evident The state Congress unit has urged party national president Mallikarjun Kharge to take action against Thakur for criticizing the DMK, which has itself called for action against the Virudhunagar MP.Also Read | TN Congress seeks action against party MP Manikom Thakur for putting DMK ties ‘strain’Whether the DMK exercises this advantage in Puducherry too or concedes ground to the Congress to maintain alliance cohesion ahead of the polls will not only create an immediate electoral battle with the ruling NDA alliance in UT, but also the long-term balance of power between the two alliances.
Why Congress can’t afford friction in Puducherry
With so much at stake, the Congress can hardly afford to risk tension in Puducherry, especially on the eve of elections. With governments in only three states – Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana – the Congress cannot afford new tensions within the coalition. A victory in Puducherry would provide a much-needed additional regime and strengthen its hand within India, led by the National Opposition. Tensions have risen between the opposition alliances following a series of electoral debacles in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where they succeeded in bringing the BJP below the majority mark for the first time since 2014.For now, Congress seems to be adopting a wait and watch approach. Whether this strategy will strengthen his position or strain a core coalition ahead of the election will soon be revealed.
