Pondy CM pushed to wall, MLAs stay put

PONDICHERRY, OCTOBER 18: LAST-ditch efforts are being made by the Congress leadership to persuade one of the party’s MLAs in Pondicherry to step down so that Chief Minister P. Shanmugham can contest and retain his post.

Shanmugham has to get elected to the territorial Assembly before November 23 to fulfil the constitutional obligation to remain in the post.

Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ramesh Chennithala are camping here and holding talks with Congress MLAs and other leaders. Party sources said that MP M.O.H Farook and PCC chief V. Narayanaswamy met the two leaders. Azad also met Shanmugham at the latter’s residence and held discussions.

Meanwhile, some reports said that Shanmugham was planning to resign to pave way for one of the party’s 11 members in the House to be nominated as Chief Minister. The reports said that the MLAs were reluctant to resign in favour of Shanmugham.

In a related development, the fledgling Pondicherry Makkal Congress (PMC), a TMC breakaway, today decided to extend support to the Congress and said it would accept any Congress MLA nominated as CM. PMC founder P. Kannan said he met two AICC leaders and conveyed the decision. The PMC has four men in the 30-member House. (PTI)