BREAKING | Kiran Bedi Removed As Puducherry LG; Telangana Governor Given Additional Charge

New Delhi: Amid the ongoing political slugfest in Puducherry, Dr. Kiran Bedi was on Tuesday removed as the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory (UT). Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor of Telangana, has now been given additional charge as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.

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“The President has directed that Dr. Kiran Bedi shall cease to hold the office of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry and has appointed Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor of Telangana, to discharge the functions of the Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry, in addition to her own duties, with effect from the date she assumes charge of her office until regular arrangements for the office of Lieutenant-Governor of Puducherry are made,” Rashtrapati Bhavan informed in a press release.

Kiran Bedi is an Indian politician, retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and a social activist who took over as Puducherry LG on May 29, 2016. She is also India’s first female IPS officer and started her service in 1972.

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Puducherry Political Crisis

The development comes soon after the ruling Congress government lost its majority in Puducherry as 4 party MLAs resigned from the government. 

Earlier in the day, Puducherry Chief Minister Narayanswamy’s close aide A. John Kumar who was elected to Puducherry Assembly from Kamaraj Nagar constituency in 2019 by-polls resigned from the party giving a jolt to the Congress party.

With fresh resignations, the Congress-led government in UT has now come down to 14 in the assembly with an effective strength of 28. The simple majority in the assembly with the reduced strength is 15.

Polls are likely in April and the House’s term ends on June 8, 2021.

Here’s the position of Congress-led alliance in Puducherry assembly as of February 16: Congress (ten), DMK three, All-India NR Congress seven, AIADMK four, BJP three (all nominated and have voting rights) and one independent. Four Congress MLAs have resigned while one member had been disqualified.