PM Modi holds roadshow in Puducherry amid NDA's internal strains

Puducherry: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a roadshow in Puducherry on Friday, seeking support for the ruling AINRC-BJP alliance ahead of the upcoming assembly polls next week.

Modi, flanked by AINRC founder and Puducherry CM N Rangasamy and Puducherry home minister A Namassivayam, travelled about two kilometers in an open campaign vehicle in the heart of the Union Territory. Assembly polls are to be held on April 9.

The show of strength comes even as tensions within the alliance persist. The main point of contention is the Centre's turning down of Rangasamy's long-standing demand for full statehood for Puducherry. Also, fissures have developed over the inclusion of the LJK in the alliance. LJK is a new party launched by Jose Charles Martin, the son of lottery baron Santiago Martin. Rangasamy had opposed LJK's inclusion in the alliance.