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Sonia's resignation dampens poll-related activity

S. Nadarajan

Seat-sharing talks take a back seat

PONDICHERRY: Even as the rank and file of the ruling Congress was planning to begin poll-related activities ever since the Election Commission announced the schedule for Pondicherry, the resignation by AICC leader Sonia Gandhi as Member of Parliament and chairperson of the National Advisory Council virtually dampened the partymen's vigour here.

All debate on the number of seats the Congress should get and share with the alliance partners virtually took a back seat. One could see volunteers holding busy meetings urging the AICC leader to withdraw her decision.

The louder one raised his voice the greater the prominence he gained. Generally however the front formed by the Congress and its allies including the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Pattali Makkal Katchi and the Communist parties had been confident that it would form the next government. But the important tasks of sharing of seats among the constituents and identification of the constituencies are yet to be accomplished and are being carried out in Chennai.

The front constituted by the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in alliance with the virtually one-year-old Puduchery Munnetra Congress (floated by the former Minister of Pondicherry, P. Kannan), the Dalit Panthers of India and the Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has begun discussions on the number of seats each would contest and had identified the segments to field their respective candidates.

With the total seats available here being 30 there is a picture of too many aspirants for too few seats. The Congress maintains that it is a major partner.

The confidence that the Congress and its allies had been nurturing and the challenges the AIADMK-PMC-DPI-MDMK front pose to them make the poll picture kaleidoscopic in Pondicherry, which had always been politically volatile and vibrant.

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