Puducherry Chief Minister and All India N.R. Congress founder N. Rangasamy skipped the 31^st meeting of the Southern Zonal Council chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu on Thursday (August 20, 2026).

Administrative sources told The Hindu that both the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister of the Union Territory are invited whenever the Inter-State Council Secretariat, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, holds its zonal meeting.

For the 31^st meeting too, the Inter-State Council invited Lt. Governor K. Kailashnathan, Mr. Rangasamy, and Chief Secretary Sharat Chauhan. The Chief Minister, however, skipped the meeting held at Tamil Nadu’s coastal town of Mamallapuram, which is around 100 km from Puducherry.

While the council meeting was under way, the Chief Minister attended several official events in Puducherry, including the garlanding of the statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary and a meeting of the AIDS Control Society.

It may be noted that the Chief Minister has not participated in any of the official meetings convened by the Union government in the past six years, including the Governing Council meetings of NITI Aayog chaired by the Prime Minister, though his party has been a ruling ally of the BJP in Puducherry since 2021. Neither the Chief Minister nor his office has given a reason for skipping these events.

Puducherry is all set for the swearing-in of AINRC founder N. Rangasamy as the Chief Minister of the Union Territory for the fifth time. Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan will administer the oath to Mr. Rangasamy at a function to be held at 9. 47 a.m at Lok Niwas.

The National Democratic Alliance headed by the Chief Minister’s AINRC has retained power after securing a majority of 18 seats in the 2026 Assembly polls. In the 30 member-Legislative Assembly, the AINRC has won 12 seats, its allies, BJP four and one each by the AIADMK and LJK. 

Sources said one or two BJP legislators will also be sworn-in as Ministers along with the Chief Minister. In the previous Assembly, the BJP had held two berths in Mr. Rangasamy’s cabinet, besides holding the Speaker’s post. The AINRC had held three Ministerial berths and deputy Speaker’s post.

Nabin to attend Swearing-in

The BJP whose seat share has been reduced by two from its previous tally of six in the Assembly, has decided to mark the return of NDA government in U.T. with the presence of party national leaders at the swearing-in function. The ceremony will be attended by BJP national president Nitin Nabin, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and BJP in-charge for U.T. Nirmal Kumar Surana.