‘Pondicherry not given statehood’: Vijay slams BJP, Congress ahead of polls

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu Rajya Sabha chief (TVK) Vijay on Saturday criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress for not giving Puducherry a chance for statehood despite being in power at the Center for many years.“Despite holding power at the centre, neither the Congress nor the BJP has been able to give statehood to Puducherry. The TVK government will make 100 per cent efforts to ensure complete statehood legally and without interference from the Lieutenant Governor,” Vijay said at an election rally in the union territory where the polls were taking place.

Pondicherry is a former French colony that was formally annexed to India in 1962 and gained union territory status the following year. It is governed by a lieutenant governor appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Centre, while elected local governments have limited powers, fueling long-standing demands for full statehood.

Meanwhile, the actor-politician also urged voters to usher in a “one-finger revolution” by supporting TVK’s “whistle” symbol, an apparent reference to a dialogue in one of his films.Vijay hit out at the two main alliances in the region. “The ruling All India National Congress (AINRC)-BJP combine is a tired alliance. Just like in Tamil Nadu, the opposition DMK-Congress alliance in Puducherry is also a confused one,” the Tamil superstar popularly known as ‘Thalapathy’ (leader) added.

He also introduced TVK’s candidates, describing them as leaders who “stand with the people” and outlined a series of welfare promises. These include:

The party, founded in February 2024, is contesting in 28 of the 30 constituencies, with its ally Neyam Makkal Kazhagam (NMK) fielding candidates in the remaining two seats.The Puducherry Legislative Assembly has 33 members, of which 30 are elected and 3 are nominated by the federal government. Voting for 30 seats will take place on April 9, with more than 940,000 voters deciding the fate of 294 candidates. Counting of votes is scheduled to take place on May 4, along with the results of the assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, which will vote around the same time as Puducherry.