N. Rangaswamy Age, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About N. Rangaswamy

• In 1990, N. Rangaswamy contested the Pondicherry Legislative Assembly elections from the Thattanchavady constituency on the ticket of Indian National Congress.

• His opponent V. Pethaperumal, a Janata Dal (JD) candidate, defeated him in the elections by 982 votes.

• However, the governance of Janata Dal (JD) fall after a few months, and the Pondicherry Legislative Assembly elections were organised again in 1991.

• That same year, N. Rangaswamy again contested from the Thattanchavady constituency on the ticket of Indian National Congress and won by 7,260 votes, defeating his opponent Pethaperumal.

• He was then elected as a member of the Thattanchavady legislative assembly in the cabinet of Chief Minister V. Vaithilingam in Pondicherry.
  

  An old picture of N. Rangaswamy with Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam

• N. Rangaswamy was given the ministry of agriculture and co-operation. 

• In 1996, he was re-elected as a member of the Thattanchavady legislative assembly and was appointed as a minister for tourism, education, public works, civil aviation and art and culture.

• N. Rangaswamy served five years in the cabinet of Chief Minister R. V. Janakiraman in Pondicherry.

• In 2001, he defeated Pethaperumal for the third time in the Pondicherry Legislative Assembly elections from the Thattanchavady constituency.

• From March 2000 to October 2001, N. Rangaswamy served as the minister for public works, agriculture, and forests in the cabinet of Chief Minister P. Shanmugam in Pondicherry.

• On 27 October 2001, he was designated as the Chief Minister of Puducherry.

  

  An old picture of N. Rangaswamy during a political campaign

• He then became the first person from the Vanniyar community to become the Chief Minister of Puducherry.

• In 2006, N. Rangaswamy contested the assembly elections as an Indian National Congress candidate from the Thattanchavady constituency and won for the fourth consecutive time.

• In May 2006, he became the Chief Minister of Puducherry for the second time.

• On 28 August 2008, N. Rangaswamy resigned as the Chief Minister of Puducherry after an internal conflict within the Congress party. He also faced opposition from his fellow colleagues.

• On 4 September 2008, Vaithiligam was appointed as the Chief Minister of Puducherry.

• On 21 January 2011, he left the Indian National Congress and resigned as the Member of Legislative Assembly.
  

  N. Rangaswamy in 2011

• On 7 February 2011, N. Rangaswamy formed a new political party “All India N.R. Congress (AINRC)” before the 2011 assembly elections in Puducherry.

• The assembly elections held in April 2011. AINRC made an alliance with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), led by J. Jayalalithaa.
  

  N. Rangaswamy posing with Jayalalithaa

• AINRC contested on 17 seats and won 15 seats after the elections.

• After the results, AINRC received support from an Independent and formed the government without AIADMK. It received majority in the thirty seat assembly.

• In the above elections, N. Rangaswamy contested from the Kadirkamam constituency and won.

• On 16 May 2011, he was appointed as the Chief Minister of Puducherry for the third time.

• In 2016, during the assembly elections, AIADMK refused to make an alliance with AINRC. After that, AINRC contested the elections independently.

• N. Rangaswamy contested from the Indira Nagar constituency in Puducherry and won. However, his party, AINRC, won only eight seats from thirty in the assembly.

• On 6 June 2016, he resigned as the Chief Minister of Puducherry.

• From August 2016 to February 2021, N. Rangaswamy served as an opposition leader in the Puducherry assembly.

• In February 2021, V. Narayanasamy’s government lost vote of confidence in Puducherry assembly.

• After that, the assembly elections were announced to be held in April 2021.

• AINRC entered into a partnership with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the AIADMK.
  

  N. Rangaswamy posing with Narendra Modi

• After the elections, NDA won total 16 seats, out of which AINRC won 10 seats. AINRC contested for the 16 seats.

• N. Rangaswamy contested from the Indira Nagar constituency in Puducherry and won.

• Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok, an independent candidate, defeated him from the Yanam constituency in Puducherry.

• On 7 May 2021, he was appointed as the Chief Minister of Puducherry for the fourth time. He was backed by the BJP and independents.

• In 2026, during the assembly elections, his party, AINRC, continued its alliance with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and won the elections with majority of seats.

• Reportedly, N. Rangaswamy follows a simple lifestyle and is soft spoken person, earning a nickname “junior Kamaraj.”
  

  N. Rangaswamy with actor Vijay

• He is also known by the name “Makkal Mudhalvar” means the Chief Minister of the people, for making changes in education sector, public welfare, and poverty reduction.

• As a Chief Minister of Puducherry, N. Rangaswamy worked to develop the regional areas of the state, local administration, and civic infrastructure.

• He is known for introducing many welfare and development schemes.
  

  N. Rangaswamy while distributing clothes to poor

• N. Rangaswamy has introduced “Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Housing Scheme” to build concrete houses to poor people. He had announced Rs. 0.1 million (US$1,100) subsidy for this scheme.
  

  N. Rangaswamy donating houses to poor under ‘Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Housing Scheme’

• He has also introduced the “Rajiv Gandhi Breakfast Scheme” under which milk and breakfast was provided to the students of government schools in Puducherry.

• His “Kamaraj Education Assistance Scheme” works to reimburse the tuition fees of under privileged students, who are enrolled under government quota in professional colleges of Puducherry.

• N. Rangaswamy has launched schemes to distribute free text books and stationery to school students. He has also allowed several pension schemes for the old people.
  

  N. Rangaswamy posing with a student

• He has focused on constructing overhead tanks in Puducherry to provide clean drinking water to every one.

• N. Rangaswamy likes travelling to distant places, tennis, and riding motorcycle in his free time.
  

  N. Rangaswamy while riding a motorbike

• He follows the saint Appa Paithiyam Swamigal. He often organises “Mouna Viratam” (vow of silence).
  

  N. Rangaswamy sitting in front of the picture of Appa Paithiyam Swamigal