Rajagopal P Swamy (Special Correspondent)
PUDUCHERRY & TAMILNADU:The dust has settled on the 2026 Assembly elections, but for the major political players in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry,the storm is just beginning.
Following a series of underwhelming performances and high-profile defeats,a growing chorus of party executives and cadres is demanding a total overhaul of leadership, labeling a”change of guards”as the only way to salvage their political futures.
*The TNCC Crisis: A Call for Accountability:
In Tamil Nadu,the Congress party is facing a full-blown rebellion.Approximately 42 key executives of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) have moved a formal petition to the high command in Delhi,seeking the immediate removal of State President Selvaperunthagai.
The dissenters allege that the president’s leadership led to a dismal harvest of only five MLA seats.
The core of the grievance lies in missed opportunities; internal critics claim Selvaperunthagai actively blocked a strategic alliance with actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam(TVK), which they believe could have yielded a landslide victory.
Instead,the party was left with a fractured presence, leading to accusations of”threatening politics”and administrative failure.
Former Union Minister Sudarshana Natchiappan echoed these sentiments,noting that the electorate’s verdict necessitates a fresh face to lead the party toward the 2029 Lok Sabha elections.
Puducherry’s Seismic Shift:Humiliating Defeats:
The situation in Puducherry is equally volatile.State Congress President V. Vaithilingam is facing intense heat after the party was reduced to a single seat in the 30-member house.
The most stinging blow was Vaithilingam’s own defeat in the Thattanchavady constituency, where he not only lost but failed to secure his deposit—a historic low for a sitting president.
Angry cadres have already begun protests at the party headquarters, with plans to meet Rahul Gandhi on May 17 to demand a leadership change.
The BJP unit in Puducherry is not immune to this wave of discontent. Critics are calling for the removal of State President V. P.Ramalingame following a decline in the party’s strength from six to four MLAs.
The symbol of this failure was the Raj Bhavan constituency;despite a high-stakes campaign featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi,Ramalingame lost the seat to a young,first-time DMK candidate,Vignesh Kannan,by a narrow margin of 287 votes.
This loss in the city’s administrative heart has raised serious questions about the effectiveness of the current BJP leadership.
Cracks in the Alliance and Unchecked Ambitions:
Beyond individual leadership, the integrity of the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) is under scrutiny.
DMK State Coordinator R. Siva has been accused of prioritizing personal “daydreams”of becoming Chief Minister over coalition harmony.
By positioning himself for the top spot without consulting the Congress,Siva created a rift that the opposition was quick to exploit.
Compounding this was the Congress leadership’s inability to discipline its own ranks.During the election, several Congress rebel candidates openly contested against official DMK candidates.
This internal sabotage further bled the alliance’s vote share, handing an advantage to the AINRC-led NDA and the emerging TVK.
Bitter Truth:
The 2026 Tamilnadu and Puducherry election has served as a wake-up call.From the humiliating loss of deposits to the rise of young challengers and the failure of veteran leaders to hold their ground even with Prime Ministerial backing,the message from the grassroots is clear: the status quo is no longer viable.
For the Congress, BJP, and DMK alike,the”need of the hour”is not just a change in strategy,but a decisive change in the guards who lead them.
