Not a starry moment for Narayanasamy

Time was when you could spot V Narayanasamy, Congress leader and chief minister of Puducherry, from a long way off on account of his flaming orange hair. That has now sobered to jet black (with a few artful grey streaks for gravitas). But sober or not, Mr Narayanasamy could be in trouble as Puducherry, along with Tamil Nadu, goes to the polls in April-May.

It is precisely to ward off the trouble that earlier this month Mr Narayanasamy spent a night under the stars, on the road, with his Congress colleagues. The occasion was a protest against Puducherry Lieutenant Gove­rnor Kiran Bedi, whom Mr Narayanasamy has described as a “demon”. What is important to note is that the Congress’s electoral partner, the DMK, did not join the protest. Nor did it take part in a special Assembly session called by the Congress government against the Cen­tre’s farm laws. It is pressuring the Congress to contest the Assembly election independently. With incumbency against him, Mr Narayanasamy is looking for an electoral issue. Kiran Bedi might have provided him one.

With other challengers like A Namassivayam accommodated in the government and former chief minister V Vaithilingam in the Lok Sabha, the chief minister might have pacified party adversaries. However, his biggest problem is going to be managing the DMK — a party the Congress considers its ally. In the 2016 Assembly election, the alliance got 56 per cent of the vote.

But this time, the DMK has higher ambitions. DMK MP S Jagatharakshakan, who has been give charge of Puducherry, said after a meeting earlier this week that the party would contest all 30 seats in Puducherry — and win all. He added: “If we fail, I will commit suicide on this stage.” It is not hard to see why — he could become chief minister if the DMK wins all the seats.

The DMK has three MLAs in the Assembly and the Congress has 15. The AIADMK, in power in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, has four and the All India NR Con­gress, a breakaway faction of the Con­gress, seven. The Assembly’s 30 constituencies are spread across Puducherry (23), and its enclaves of Karaikal in Tamil Nadu (5), Mahe in Kerala (1), and Yanam in Andhra Pradesh (1). These are small seats, with voter strength ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 voters.

In 2016, the BJP contested 30 seats. It couldn’t win one. The Congress fought 21 and won 15. The DMK fought nine and won two. The AIADMK fought 30 and won four. And the All India NR Congress put up candidates in 30 seats but won eight.

For the most part, alliances in Tamil Nadu dictate alliances in Puducherry and the results are similar. But 2016 bucked the trend: Although the AIADMK won Tamil Nadu and formed a government, in Pondicherry it was the Congress-DMK alliance that came to power. There is no reason why the alliance should break down this time, Mr Jagatha­rakshakan’s ambitions notwithstanding.

Mr Narayanasamy is an old-style Congress politician, amiable and pragmatic. He himself was not a member of the Assembly in 2016. But he got elected and has kept the party together for five years. He was brought to Delhi from Puducherry by Rajiv Gandhi, who made him a Rajya Sabha member when he was just 31. He was part of Rajiv’s “shouting brigade” in Parliament, along with S S Ahluwalia, Ratnakar Pandey, and Suresh Pachauri. He went on to become a parliamentary party leader in the Narasimha Rao era. His first brush with the headlines was when, on Rao’s instructions, he delayed the Congress’ letter of support to the United Front government in 1996. As a result, Atal Bihari Vajpayee became prime minister. Rao had hoped to be called by the president to form the government after Vajpayee failed. Mr Narayanasamy was a small part of that bigger plot.

Mr Narayanasamy’s greatest talent lies in making unobtrusive moves. Everybody likes him. He began life by reporting to the likes of Ghulam Nabi Azad and Oscar Fernandes. He has now overtaken them. He had an especially good equation with Ahmad Patel, a relationship he nurtured. And, when Rahul Gandhi was nothing more than an MP, Mr Narayanasamy was a regular visitor to the former’s house at 12, Tughlak Crescent.

A recent C-Voter-ABP poll says that it may be hard for the Congress to be voted back in Pu­ducherry. The reason is not just the crumb­l­­ing alliance with the DMK — it is also a surge in the popularity of the National Democratic Al­l­­iance (NDA — BJP plus AIADMK plus All In­dia NR Congress). And if the DMK pulls out of the Congress alliance, it is hard to see how the NDA can be prevented from coming to power.

However, it is early days yet. And whether his hair is orange or black, Mr Narayanasamy should not be underestimated.