Puducherry Polls: TVK's Vijay launches campaign against NDA alliance

TVK chief Vijay campaigns in Puducherry for the April 9 assembly polls, challenging the AINRC-NDA government. As the race heats up, PM Modi accused opposition parties of lacking vision and wanting to use the union territory as an 'ATM'.

Continuing his campaign for the upcoming elections, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay left his residence for Puducherry on Saturday. He is set to intensify his campaign in the union territory, seeking a victory against the incumbent All India N.R. Congress government, which is part of the NDA alliance.

Puducherry Election Landscape

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is contesting independently in the Puducherry Legislative Assembly general elections scheduled for April 9, with counting of votes on May 4. The current term of the 30-member Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory is set to expire on June 15.

In the 2021 Puducherry Assembly Elections, AINRC emerged as the largest party with 10 seats, followed by DMK with six seats, while BJP and Congress each won six seats. The voter turnout was recorded at 84.8 per cent.

While in the 2016 elections, Congress had secured a majority with 15 seats, AINRC won eight seats, AIADMK bagged four seats, and DMK got two seats, with voter turnout at 83.6 per cent.

PM Modi Criticises Opposition

As the date of polls draws near, top brass leadership from prominent parties have sharpened their campaign and attacks on the opposition. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the opposition parties lack a clear vision for developing the Union Territory and are more focused on political control.

Sharing an X post, PM Modi alleged that the rival parties want to use Puducherry as an ATM."While the NDA is working towards BEST Puducherry, the Opposition has no vision for Puducherry's progress. They want to use Puducherry as an ATM and ensure it is ruled by the High Command in Delhi instead of listening to the will of the people," he wrote.

"A few days ago, I was interacting with the BJP booth workers of Puducherry. One of our Karyakartas put it very well when he said that the Opposition's agenda is to create a WEAK Puducherry," he added.

Elaborating on the acronym, PM Modi said, "By WEAK, he meant: W- Worst Governance; E- End of Development; A- Against People, K- Kill Economy."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)