Puducherry: CM Narayanasamy resigns after the government led by Congress loses the confidence vote

In the Legislative Assembly on Monday, the congress-led government in Puducherry lost the trust vote. Assembly Speaker VP Sivakolundhu said he announced that the Narayanasamy government was unable to prove its majority and adjourned the Sine Die House.

Although minutes after the Assembly met for a special one-day session, Narayanasamy moved the motion seeking the confidence vote, he and his ruling side MLAs later walked out before putting the motion for voting. The Speaker later declared that the motion was defeated.

As it has 11 MLAs in the 33-member Legislative Assembly, the ruling Congress-DMK alliance failed to show a majority. The opposition consists of fourteen members. The Union Territory will go to the polls later this year from April to May.

“MLAs should stay loyal to the party. MLAs who have resigned will not be able to face the people as people will call them opportunists,” said Narayanasamy in the Assembly.

Narayanasamy later told reporters that the ruling by the Speaker was wrong. “By using voting power used by three nominated members, the BJP government at the Centre, NR Congress, and AIADMK have succeeded in dislodging our government. This is democracy murder. The people of Puducherry and this country will teach them a lesson,” he said.

Later, Narayanasamy met with Lt. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and resigned. After meeting Tamilisai, Narayanasamy told reporters, “Myself, ministers, Congress and DMK MLAs and independent legislator have tendered resignation and sought it be accepted,”

Earlier on Sunday, two more MLAs from the governing alliance resigned. They are K Lakshminarayanan from Congress and Venkatesan from DMK. The letters of resignation were presented separately by Lakshminarayanan and Venkatesan to Assembly Speaker VP Sivakolundhu at his residence. Lakshminarayanan told reporters that the government of Narayanasamy had lost the majority.In Congress, four MLAs, including former ministers A Namassivayam (now in the BJP) and Malladi Krishna Rao, left, while another legislator of the party was previously disqualified. John Kumar, Narayanasamy’s confidant, also resigned.