BJP, AINR-Cong rift may play spoilsport in Puducherry for NDA

Even as the BJP is going full throttle to capture power in Puducherry, there is a road block in front of it. Former chief minister of Puducherry, N Rangaswamy, who has floated the AINR Congress, is sulking over the public statement made by the Union Home Minister Amit Shah that Pudcherry will have a BJP chief minister, during a programme last week.

Rangaswamy's camp is of the opinion that other than nominated legislators, BJP has yet to open an account in the state and that Shah's statement is an overambitious one and that this would do more harm than good for the party.

Rangaswamy, who was on a spiritual tour, had communicated to BJP national president JP Nadda that his party may have to contest alone given the situation. Sources in the BJP indicated that the situation is not out of control and the party is trying to patch up the differences with the powerful leader.

While the saffron camp is expecting a landslide with the support of AINR congress and AIADMK, the contention of those close to Rangaswamy is that the BJP has less than 3% vote share in the previous assembly elections and that the party will have to strive hard to make any dent in the state politics.

Rangaswamy wants to become the chief minister and if the BJP national leadership agrees on this, there will not be much difficulties in forming a government. The DMK, Congress camp is also in uncertainty after the V Narayanaswamy government resigned and several legislators jumping fence.

It may be noted that AINR Congress had won 7 seats in the last assembly polls, even after going it alone in the fighting against an AIADMK, BJP alliance and a DMK,Congress alliance and this proves the clout of Rangaswamy in Puducherry politics.

This is exactly what Rangaswamy and his aides are banking upon to wrest the state from the Congress, DMK combine and requires support of the BJP and AIADMK for that.

Three weeks after Nagaland Governor and Centre's interlocutor for Naga peace talks RN Ravi said in the Assembly that political negotiations have concluded, the NSCN(IM) has claimed that his assertion was "reckless" and talks are back on the table. The Naga group, in a statement issued on Wednesday night, said it would not sign any agreement that is "short of mutual standards agreed upon".

BADAKHSHAN: Fourteen villagers were killed and three others wounded af ter an avalanche struck a far-flung area in the northern Afghan province of Badakhshan on Thursday, a local government spokesman confirmed. "The incident happened in Hawz-e-Shah locality of Raghistan district Thursday af ternoon. The initial information found 14 people were killed and three others wounded," spokesman Nik Mohammad Nazari told Xinhua.