Puducherry government wins crucial vote

The ruling All India NR Congress in Puducherry on Thursday retained its Indira Nagar seat in the crucial byelection that would have impacted its survival, when its candidate A Tamilselvane defeated his nearest rival V Aroumougame of Congress by over 8,000 votes.

The outcome was crucial for the AINRC, which has a strength of 15 in the 30-member assembly and is in power with the support of an Independent.

Official sources said that Tamilselvane secured 15,053 votes against 7,007 votes polled by Congress nominee.

Puducherry Chief Minister and AINRC founder N Rangasamy had resigned one of the two seats he won, necessitating the byelection.

This was AINRC's first electoral test after it unseated Congress in the April 13 elections.

Tamilselvane is the chief minister's nephew and a political greenhorn.

The AIADMK, which had contested the April 13 assembly polls in alliance with AINRC but subsequently parted ways, was pushed to third spot.