Puducherry, June 30 (PTI) Former nominated legislator of the Puducherry Assembly, V P Ramalingam, was elected unopposed to head the BJP's unit in the union territory, succeeding S Selvaganapathy. The announcement was made at the party headquarters on Monday.

Ramalingam was the sole nominee for the post, with the deadline for filing nominations ending on June 29. As no other nominations were received, he was declared elected unopposed, party sources said.

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A businessman and realtor by profession, Ramalingam holds a diploma in a technical discipline.

The 63-year-old began his political career with the Congress before joining the BJP in 2021, when the party became an alliance partner in the N Rangasamy-led government.

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Among those who congratulated him were BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh, Puducherry Home Minister A Namassivayam, party legislators, and office-bearers from Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam.

Ramalingam was one of three nominated legislators who resigned from the Puducherry Assembly on June 27, following directions from the party high command.

New members are expected to be inducted as nominated legislators on July 2, party sources added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)