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Intra-party differences delay Congress list

Special Correspondent

PCC president, Chief Minister in Delhi to finalise

Pondicherry: The ongoing tussle between two influential groups in the ruling Congress for some days now has been resulting in delay in finalising list of candidates of the Congress, which has been earmarked 16 seats to field candidates in the coming Assembly poll here, after sharing seats with the DMK and the other constituents of the Democratic Progressive Alliance.

The Pradesh Congress Committee president P. Shanmugham, the AICC General Secretary V. Narayanasamy MP and the Chief Minister N. Rangasamy have been camping in Delhi to get the approval of the high command of the candidatures of the party to contest the polls.

Interior segment

Mannadipet an interior segment in Pondicherry was among the 11 seats earmarked earlier to the DMK.

But this caused shock and bewilderment among the most of the functionaries of the Congress. It was expected that either the Speaker in the outgoing Assembly and senior political leader M.D.R. Ramachandran or another local functionary of the party N.Rajaram Reddiar would be the party candidate as there was firm expectation that Mannadipet itself would be earmarked without doubt to Congress only.

Mannadipet

Mr.Ramachandran had been by and large holding the seat either as the AIADMK or the DMK candidate in the past and he presented application some weeks ago seeking the Congress ticket to contest the poll from Mannadipet. sHe was defeated by N. Rajaram Reddiar of the Congress in the poll held in 1991. Mr Ramachandran contested the poll then as the DMK candidate.

He regained the seat in the last polls held in 2001 to the territorial Assembly as AIADMK nominee.

Rajaram Reddiar is also making strenuous efforts to get the Congress ticket to fight the poll from Mannadipet though at one stage when the seat was decided for DMK in the agreement between the Congress and the DMK he decided to contest as an Independent there.

Now the Congress is on the horns of dilemma with difference of opinion in finalising the candidate for the Mannadipet seat. While one group is firm that the party field Mr. Ramachandran as the nominee the other group resisting this stand maintains that Mr. Rajaram Reddiar should be party nominee.

There is also yet another group that the seat may be earmarked to a non-Congress party within the alliance. Who would have the last laugh remains to be seen.

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