N. Rangasamy, chief of the All India N.R. Congress (AINRC), was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Puducherry for the fifth time on Wednesday. Lieutenant Governor Kailashnathan administered the oath of office and secrecy to him at a ceremony held at Raj Bhavan.
The swearing-in ceremony was conducted as scheduled in the morning in the presence of political leaders, administrative officials and other dignitaries. With the oath-taking, Rangasamy returned to the centre of Puducherry’s administration once again.
Rangasamy has now served as Chief Minister of Puducherry on five occasions. His political career began with the Indian National Congress, under which he served as Chief Minister from 2001 to 2006 and again from 2006 to 2008.
In 2011, he left the Congress and founded the All India N.R. Congress. In the same year, he led the party to victory in the Assembly elections and assumed office as Chief Minister for the third time. He has continued to play a leading role in Puducherry politics during subsequent coalition governments.
In the recent Assembly elections, the AINRC contested 16 seats and won 12. Alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) contested 10 seats and secured victory in four constituencies. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Lachit Jana Nayaga Katchi won one seat each.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured a total of 18 seats in the 30-member Puducherry Assembly, giving the coalition a majority and paving the way for the formation of another alliance government with the AINRC emerging as the largest party.
Puducherry has witnessed a period of political instability and coalition governments over the past decade. In the 2021 Assembly elections, the NDA had unseated the Congress-DMK alliance from power. At that time, the AINRC won 10 seats, while the BJP secured six seats. The Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) alliance won eight seats. Independent candidates also registered victories in several constituencies.
In his new term, Rangasamy is expected to focus on infrastructure development, employment generation, promotion of tourism and strengthening administrative efficiency in the Union Territory. Puducherry’s economy is largely dependent on tourism, small industries and the services sector, and the government is expected to introduce policies aimed at attracting investment and supporting economic growth.
