A week-long suspense over the chief ministerial candidate of Congress party may end on Saturday as the newly elected MLAs are set to choose a person among their leaders to become the next Chief Minister of the Union Territory.
On Friday, Congress leaders, including former Union Minister V. Narayanasamy and Pradesh Congress Committee president A. Namassivayam, former Chief Ministers – D. Ramachandran and V. Vaithilingam paid homage to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on the occasion of his 52nd death anniversary.
Later talking to reporters, Mr. Namassivayam said, “Those who worked for the victory of the party have the right to stake claim for the Chief Minister post. Competing for the post is a routine affair after results are declared.” When asked whether he has such a right to stake claim for the post, Mr. Namassivayam replied in the affirmative.
Meanwhile, both Mr. Narayanasamy and Mr. Namassivayam have been lobbying for the post by either personally meeting the newly-elected MLAs or through communicating them individually.
The Congress emerged single largest party with 15 MLAs following Assembly polls while All India NR Congress led by the outgoing Chief Minister got eight in the 30-member Legislative Assembly. Even though Congress has comfortable majority with its ally DMK has two MLAs in the new Assembly, the party leadership has not yet arrived at a decision on who will become the next Chief Minister. As the climax in political developments, a meeting of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) is scheduled to be held on Saturday at a hotel. Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and party’s General Secretary Mukul Wasnik have been deputed by the party high command to be central observers to the meeting. Newly elected MLAs will elect CLP leader to become the next Chief Minister.
