Puducherry: The announcement of Narayanasamy as Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader triggered violence in various parts of the Union Territory.
Supporters of Puducherry Congress Committee president A, Namassivayam, who was also in the race for Chief Ministership, raised slogans opposing the decision immediately after it was announced.
Ten buses, including four Tamil Nadu government buses, were attacked on East Coast Road and the mob tried to block roads disrupting traffic. Police resorted to a lathicharge to disperse them, in which more than five were injured and one of them was admitted in Pondicherry Institute of Medical College hospital. The mob started pelting stones at buses on the way to Puducherry from Kalapet where the meeting was held. Shattered pieces of windscreen of buses were seen on ECR.
Reports say a few passengers and a conductor of a Tamil Nadu government bus were injured in the attack. The supporters were seen shouting slogans against Narayanasamy.
Earlier in the day, Mrs Dikshit told reporters after CLP meeting, “Mr Narayanasamy’s election was unanimous”. She had held discussions with the Congress legislators and conveyed ‘their’ decision to the party high command.
The Congress had won 15 seats to emerge the single largest party in the House of 30. Soon after the CLP meeting, party president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi phoned Narayanasamy to congratulate him on becoming the UT’s tenth CM.
Now he has to enter the legislature through a by-election as he had not contested in the May 16 polls. “I will hold talks among the legislators and party seniors here, and consult the party high command on the next steps to be taken on forming the government”, Narayanasamy told reporters, when asked about the composition of his ministerial team. He said he would soon meet new Lt Governor Ms Kiran Bedi and stake claim to form the government.
