Puducherry Congress chief Vaithilingam resigns over Assembly poll loss

Puducherry PCC chief V Vaithilingam on Thursday quit his post, owning moral responsibility for the defeat of the Congress in the April 9 Assembly polls in the union territory, party sources said.

The former chief minister was appointed as the Pradesh Congress Committee president in 2023.

Party sources said that Vaithilingam, who himself bit the dust in Thattanchavady Assembly constituency at the hands of the AINRC leader and Chief Minister N Rangasamy, sent his letter of resignation to the party high command on Thursday.

He presently serves as a Lok Sabha member from the union territory. The Congress fielded candidates in 16 Assembly constituencies out of the total 30 seats in the April 9 polls through an agreement with the DMK and the VCK. But the Congress was successful in only one constituency- Oussudu.

Rangasamy is all set to lead Puducherry for the fifth time with his party, the AINRC-led NDA, winning the elections in the UT with a handsome margin.

The All India NR Congress has emerged victorious in 12 out of the 16 seats it contested and the BJP won four of the 10 seats it fought.

The AIADMK and Latchia Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), other NDA constituents, emerged successful from one seat each and the combine has 18 seats in the 30-member House. Besides, there would be three nominated members.