Puducherry CM skips Southern Zonal Council meeting, attends in official events in UT

Puducherry CM skips Southern Zonal Council session, attends in official events in UT While the council gathering was under way in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister attended a number of official events in Puducherry.

Key points

• Rangasamy skipped the 31st session of the Southern Zonal Council chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu on Thursday (August 20, 2026).
• Rangasamy garlands the statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary, in Puducherry on Thursday Photo Credit: Special Arrangement.
• For the 31st session too, the Inter-State Council invited Lt.
• Neither the Chief Minister nor his office has given a reason for skipping these events.

CM N. Rangasamy garlands the statue of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary, in Puducherry on Thursday Photo Credit: Special Arrangement.

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

Administrative sources informed 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 gathering.

For the 31st session too, the Inter-State Council invited Lt. Governor K. Kailashnathan, Mr. Rangasamy, and Chief Secretary Sharat Chauhan. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, nevertheless, skipped the gathering held at Tamil Nadu's coastal town of Mamallapuram. It is around 100 km from Puducherry.

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

According to It may be, the Chief Minister has not participated in any of the official meetings convened by the Union administration previously 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.

For now, puducherry CM skips Southern Zonal Council meeting, attends in official events in remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.