Almost 10 days after the results of the elections to the 30-member Puducherry Assembly were announced, AICC general secretary and former Union Minister of State V. Narayanasamy was unanimously elected leader of the Congress Legislature Party on Saturday, to become the next Chief Minister of the Union Territory.
Mr. Narayanasamy did not contest in the Assembly polls. The announcement came after central observers, Sheila Dikshit and AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, met Congress MLAs.
Violence over decision
News of Mr. Narayanaswamy’s election sparked violence as a section of Congress workers protested the decision and squatted outside the hotel where the meeting was under way. A group of cadre went on the rampage on East Coast Road, stoning vehicles.
Over 10 public transport buses were damaged, leaving one driver and some passengers injured. Hundreds of passengers travelling to Chennai were stranded at Pillaichavady and Kanagachettikulam.
Rewarded for his steadfast loyalty
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and former Union Minister for State V. Narayanasamy, selected as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader on Saturday, is the second non-Member of the Puducherry Assembly to become the Chief Minister of the Union Territory in its political history.
The then Congress leader P. Shanmugam became Chief Minister without being a member of the House in 2000. He remained as Chief Minister from March 2000 to October 2001 after seeking re-election from Yanam Assembly segment, an enclave of the UT in Andhra Pradesh.
He contested successfully within six months in the by-election in Yanam as then Independent member Malladi Krishna Rao vacated the seat. Now, a similar situation has arisen and Mr. Narayanasamy has to seek re-election from any of the constituencies annexed by the Congress.
Born to Velu and Eswari Ammal on May 30, 1947, sixty-nine-year-old Mr. Narayanasamy was a three-time Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha.
He was first elected to the Rajya Sabha from 1985-1991 and subsequently from 1991-97. He became a Rajya Sabha member for the t
Mr. Narayanasamy was elected from the Lok Sabha for the first time in the 2009 elections. He became the Union Minister of State for PMO in the UPA II Government. He unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha seat in 2014 after he was defeated by AINRC candidate R. Radhakrishnan.
Hailing from Poornankuppam village, Mr. Narayanasamy did his school education from Ariyankuppam in 1965 and graduated from Tagore Arts College in 1969. He did his Legal education in Madras Law College and also Master of Law between 1969 and 1973.
He practised for a few years and jumped into active politics under the guidance of then PCC president P. Shanmugam in 1985. Known for his close association with the AICC, Mr. Narayanasamy remained loyal without shifting to any other party all along.
