Rahul Gandhi will address public rally in Puducherry tomorrow: Girish Chodankar

Speaking with ANI, he condemned the BJP for not addressing the statehood issue of Puducherry even after forming a government in the Union Territory and called their manifesto "fake."

"Rahul Gandhi is addressing a public rally tomorrow at 11 AM and is going to release the manifesto... People of Puducherry are eagerly waiting for Rahul Gandhi's meeting... The BJP is famous for fake manifestos... The double-engine government failed to give them a full-fledged state... They are not even uttering the statehood issue after coming to power...," he said.

Earlier on Saturday, Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Election-in-charge for Puducherry, Mansukh Mandaviya, along with BJP Puducherry President VP Ramalingam, launched the BJP manifesto for the upcoming elections in Puducherry.

Speaking to reporters Mansukh Mandaviya said, "For the last 5 years, the NDA government was in power here, and in the next elections too, NDA is going to form its government here. We will work for the development and upliftment of the poor. The double-engine government will be formed here again."

Voting in Puducherry will take place on April 9. The counting of votes will be held on May 4, the ECI announced. The current term of the 30-member Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory is set to expire on June 15.

In the 2021 Puducherry Assembly Elections, AINRC emerged as the largest party with 10 seats, followed by DMK with six seats, while BJP and Congress won six seats each. The voter turnout was recorded at 84.8 per cent.

While in the 2016 elections, Congress had secured a majority with 15 seats, AINRC won eight seats, AIADMK bagged four seats, and DMK got two seats, with voter turnout at 83.6 per cent. (ANI)