The Puducherry Assembly elections were held on April 9 in a single phase for all 30 constituencies. The results will be announced on May 4. The polls witnessed a direct contest between the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by All India NR Congress and BJP, and the opposition alliance comprising Congress and its regional partners.
This year also saw the entry of actor Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) into the electoral fray.
A record voter turnout of 89.87 per cent was reported during polling, which is the highest participation ever in the Union Territory since its merger with India in 1964.
Key Candidates
A Namassivayam
A Namassivayam, the incumbent home minister and senior BJP leader, is contesting from Mannadipet. The former president of the Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee was suspended for anti-party activities in January 2021. Soon after, he resigned as an MLA and left Congress. Within a few days, he joined BJP and contested the 2021 Assembly elections from Mannadipet. He won the seat by defeating the DMK candidate by a margin of 2,750 votes.
A Johnkumar
The Minority Affairs Minister is contesting from
In February 2021, he left Congress and joined BJP. He contested the 2021 Assembly election on a BJP ticket from Kamaraj Nagar and won. He was appointed a cabinet minister in the Puducherry government.
In September 2016, income tax officials reportedly found around Rs 1.6 crore during a search at his residence in Nellithope. In November 2016, another income tax raid was conducted at his house in Puducherry, during which Rs 14 lakh was seized.
VP Ramalingam
The Puducherry BJP chief is contesting from the high-stakes Raj Bhavan constituency. It's a multi-cornered battle against Congress candidate R Kumaran, DMK's Vignesh Kannan, NTK nominee Karpagavalli, and TVK's VJ Chandran.
Ramalingam became a member of the legislative assembly in 2021 after being nominated by the central government. He comes from a political family. His brother, VP Sivakolundhu, is a former Congress leader and was once the Speaker of the Puducherry Assembly.
V Vaithilingam
Former Chief Minister V Vaithilingam is contesting from Thattanchavady against
Vaithilingam began his political journey in 1980 and has served in several key roles, including minister, leader of opposition, speaker of the Assembly, and multiple terms as chief minister of Puducherry, from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2008 to 2011. He became the second youngest chief minister of Puducherry at the age of 40.
R Siva
A senior leader of the DMK, R Siva won the Villianur constituency in the 2021 Assembly elections. He also serves as the leader of opposition in the Puducherry Assembly. He first entered the Assembly in 1996 and has been elected multiple times over the years, representing different constituencies.
After winning the 2021 elections, his party leader, MK Stalin, appreciated his work and also appointed him as the first secretary of the DMK unit in Puducherry.
AMH Nazeem
A M H Nazeem, former minister and senior DMK leader, is contesting from Karaikkal South. He started his political career in 1983 and became an MLA for the first time in 1990. After that, he won several elections from the Karaikal area in 1991, 1996, 2001, and 2006.
When DMK came to power in 1996, he became the health minister. Later, in 2006, he also served as the leader of the opposition. In 2011, he won again from the newly created Karaikal South seat. In 2016, he lost a very close election by just 20 votes. In 2021, he made a strong comeback and won the seat by a huge margin.
V Saminathan
The former Puducherry BJP president and longest-serving state party chief is now contesting on a TVK ticket from Lawspet. V Saminathan is up against former Assembly speaker VP Sivakolundhu of AINRC, making it a closely watched contest.
He has been a member of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly since 2017 after he was appointed by the central government. He had been working with the BJP since the late 1990s and also served as the BJP Puducherry state president thrice.
Saminathan contested the 2021 Assembly election from Lawspet and lost to Congress's M Vaithianathan.
