Rangasamy secures second term

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Chief Minister and All India NR Congress (AINRC) president N Rangasamy, will retain power in Puducherry as it has won in more than 17 seats in the 30-member Assembly. The halfway mark to form a Government is 16.

The victory marks a second consecutive term for the NDA, defying the Union Territory’s (UT) trend of alternating power. The UT had an exceptionally high voter turnout of nearly 90 per cent. Rangasamy was declared the winner in the Thattanchavady Assembly constituency. He secured victory by a margin of 4,441 votes.

Rangasamy is a veteran political leader in Puducherry and has been serving as CM of the UT since May 2021.

He has held the CM post for multiple previous terms, first from 2001 to 2008, and again from 2011 to 2016. In 2011, he founded the All India NR Congress after breaking away from the Indian National Congress.

The NDA benefited from a perceived edge in governance delivery, welfare schemes and stability, while the Opposition campaign focused on anti-incumbency and alliances with national players.

The BJP, which contested 10 seats, has won two seats and was leading on three. Smaller allies like AIADMK and Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), which contested 2 seats each, are leading on one seat each.

The Congress-led SPA underperformed, hampered by internal conflicts and friction over seat sharing. The DMK’s presence provided some advantage, but the alliance struggled to counter the incumbency advantage of the Rangasamy Government.

Also, TVK’s entry reportedly split votes in several constituencies, potentially hurting the SPA more in key urban pockets while carving out its own niche.

LJK founder Jose Charles Martin was elected from the Kamaraj Nagar constituency in Puducherry. He defeated his immediate Congress rival P K Devadoss. LJK is an alliance partner of the AINRC-led NDA here. According to Election Commission data, Martin polled 16,592 votes and Devadoss got 10,205 votes.