Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi to Contest Puducherry Assembly Elections Independently

Party's Decision to Go Solo in Elections

On Tuesday, the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) announced its intention to participate in the upcoming Assembly elections in Puducherry independently.

Led by Thol Thirumavalavan, the party plans to nominate candidates in three specific constituencies: Ossudu, Nettappakkam, and Uzhavarkarai, while also backing candidates from the Congress-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam alliance in the other 27 constituencies.

The party has already submitted its nominations for the three chosen constituencies.

Thirumavalavan explained that the decision to contest independently stemmed from a lack of clarity regarding constituency allocations from their allies.

The deadline for candidate withdrawals is Thursday, with the elections scheduled for April 9 and vote counting set for May 4.

Additionally, the VCK is part of the DMK-led coalition in Tamil Nadu, where discussions regarding seat-sharing are ongoing.

Reflecting on the previous elections in 2021, Thirumavalavan noted that the Congress had allocated only one seat to the VCK, which they accepted to avoid straining the alliance. Despite this, the party managed to secure over 6,000 votes.

During that election cycle, the National Democratic Alliance, which included the All India NR Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, emerged victorious against the Congress-DMK coalition.