Party observers including former chief minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit and General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee Mukul Wasnik declared Narayanasamy as party's chief ministerial choice.
Congress leader and former union minister in the UPA government V Narayanasamy will be the next chief minister of Puducherry, the party said today.
Party observers including former chief minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit and General Secretary of the All India Congress Committee Mukul Wasnik announced the party's chief ministerial choice nine days after it won 15 of Puducherry's 30 assembly seats. Its ally, the DMK, won 2.
Narayanasamy's election did not go well with supporters of Namassivayam, President of the Puducherry Congress who was also in the race for the top job. There were instances of pelting of stones on buses outside Puducherry allegedly by his supporters. Two-time chief minister Vaidyalingam too was among the front-runners for the position.
Narayanasamy did not contest assembly polls and at one point had even said he was not in the race for the chief minister. His election as the head of government would mean that one of the elected members in the Puducherry assembly would have to resign to pave way for his election in six months.
Governor designate BJP's Kiran Bedi is scheduled to assume office tomorrow in the union territory. Narayanasamy is expected to stake claim to form the government soon.