Candidate selection in elections usually follows a familiar route—applications, interviews and internal lists. But in Puducherry’s NR Congress, a different method is said to be in practice, with no formal applications received so far and no interviews conducted.
According to the report, aspirants arrive with completed nomination papers and wait at the Appa Paithiyam Swamy temple located near Chief Minister N Rangasamy’s residence. They hand over the nomination-related request to him while he is at the temple.
The report further states that Rangasamy performs abhishekam and special prayers in the sanctum, offers food as part of the ritual, and then speaks privately before waiting for what is described as the deity’s instruction.
After coming out of the sanctum, he is said to apply vibhuti and give a lemon only to the person indicated by the ‘arulvaakku’. The person who receives the lemon is treated as the party’s candidate for that constituency.
The report adds that this practice has been followed since the party’s formation in 2011, and that seats for the current election have also been allotted in the same manner.
