Assembly Elections 2026: Know candidates ahead of Puducherry Assembly Election

Chennai: The BJP has released its list of candidates for the Puducherry Assembly elections. For the Union Territory, the BJP has announced the names of nine candidates in its list. Puducherry's Home Minister, A. Namassivayam, will contest the election from Mannadipet. The Puducherry Legislative Assembly comprises a total of 30 seats. Currently, the NDA is the ruling alliance in Puducherry.

The BJP released this list of candidates following a seat-sharing agreement reached with the All India N.R. Congress. N. Rangasamy is the current Chief Minister of the state. Under the seat-sharing arrangement, the BJP has secured 10 seats.

Who are the main contentants in Purucherry?

The Puducherry Assembly elections feature a contest between the ruling NDA and the opposition SPA. The NDA alliance consists of the All India N.R. Congress, the BJP, the AIADMK, and one other local party. The seat-sharing formula within the alliance has been set at 16, 10, and 2 seats respectively; on the opposing side stands the Congress-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA). This front comprises a total of four parties, including the DMK and the CPI. The Congress and the DMK are each contesting 14 seats, while the remaining two seats have been allotted to the other constituent parties. The nomination process in Puducherry has already commenced, with March 23 serving as the final deadline for filing nominations.

When will voting take place in Puducherry?

Votes for the 30 Assembly seats in Puducherry will be cast on April 9. Voting will also take place on the same day in Kerala and Assam. The results for all five states will be declared on May 4. The current Leader of the Opposition in Puducherry is R. Siva, who belongs to the DMK; he, too, is contesting the Assembly elections. Following the revision of electoral rolls, Puducherry now has a total of 9.44 lakh eligible voters.