Assembly elections in the Union Territory of Puducherry will be held on April 9 for all 30 constituencies, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4. The results will be declared along with those of four other states — Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam — where Assembly elections are also taking place during the same period.
Announcing the election schedule, Election Commission of India said extensive preparations have been made to ensure smooth and transparent polling. Addressing a press conference, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated that voting across the four states and the Union Territory will take place at around 2.19 lakh polling stations. Nearly 25 lakh election officials will be deployed to oversee the process and ensure that the elections are conducted in a free and fair manner.
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The Chief Election Commissioner also highlighted the scale of the electoral exercise, noting that the total number of voters across the four states and Puducherry is comparable to the population of several major countries, including Australia, France, South Africa, Germany and Canada.
In Puducherry, the ruling coalition comprising the All India NR Congress (AINRC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party is expected to rely on Chief Minister N. Rangasamy and the government’s welfare initiatives to seek another term in power.
Meanwhile, the Indian National Congress is contesting the elections as part of an alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Communist Party of India (CPI).
In the 2021 Puducherry Assembly elections, the All India NR Congress emerged as the single largest party with 10 seats. The DMK secured six seats, while the BJP and Congress also won six seats each. The elections witnessed a voter turnout of 84.8 per cent.
Earlier, in the 2016 Assembly elections, the Congress had formed the government after winning 15 seats. The AINRC finished second with eight seats, followed by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) with four seats and the DMK with two seats. The voter turnout in 2016 stood at 83.6 per cent.
