The Bharatiya Janata Party will field candidates in all 30 Assembly segments in the Union Territory during the coming polls, party election in-charge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said here on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference after meeting party office-bearers, she said, “This time it will not be a token contest and we will register our effective presence in the Assembly.”
Though alliance factor plays a significant role in elections in both Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, there is space for a third party, she said.
Combined with the anti-incumbency factor and “strong resentment” against the Central government, the atmosphere was “favourable” to the party in the Union Territory, she said.
Infighting within the local unit of Congress would favour the BJP.
Terming Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V. Narayanasamy's remark that getting Central funds for the Union Territory by a non-Congress government would be difficult, Ms. Swaraj said such statements should not be taken seriously.
She urged people to give a fitting response to such “illogical” statements in the elections.
“That was a threatening tone and the statement was against the federal structure of India.”
On the DMK representative donning the role of Leader of the Opposition in Puducherry Assembly, she said it was a peculiar situation where a person belonging to an ally of the ruling party was occupying the Opposition leader's chair. “A political scientist will laugh at this scenario.”
