The process of voting has already started in Puducherry and initial trends suggest that the ruling alliance, which is headed by All India N.R. Congress, holds an upper hand in the ongoing poll process. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy is leading the race in Thattanchavady seat, helping the NDA strengthen its position on its path toward another consecutive term.
As per figures made available by the Election Commission of India, the NDA alliance has touched the half-way mark as far as initial trends are concerned, as AINRC has won eight seats and secured one victory, while its allies like Bharatiya Janata Party and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam too have started their winning spree. Three independent candidates are leading the race in three constituencies.
The Indian National Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam are trailing in comparison, with limited leads across constituencies.
Tight contests in key constituencies
Even though it seems like NDA will have an early advantage, many constituencies are experiencing neck-and-neck races. The neck-and-neck fight between AINRC’s Malladi Krishna Rao and Congress’s Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok is in Yanam, where the gap between both contestants is around 700 votes.
Another constituency experiencing the same scenario is Villianur, in which case AINRC’s B. Ravicoumar is leading against DMK’s R. Siva. Lawspet too is seeing the same trend, whereby AINRC candidates are competing with Congress candidates with a difference of less than 1,000 votes.
However, Karaikal North sees a different picture in which the race is not so close.
Counting across six centres
Vote counting began on Monday across six centres for the Union Territory’s 30 Assembly constituencies, which include 23 seats in Puducherry, five in Karaikal, and one each in Mahe and Yanam.
A total of 294 candidates are in the fray in this election, with the NDA alliance—comprising AINRC, BJP, AIADMK and others—facing the INDIA bloc led by Congress and DMK.
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According to latest Election Commission of India trends, the All India N.R. Congress has won 3 seats and is leading in 6, taking its tally to 9. Its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has won 1 seat and is leading in 1. The Indian National Congress, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have won 1 seat each, while Independents are leading in 3 constituencies. Overall, results have been declared for 7 seats, with leads established in 10 more.
Postal ballots were counted first, followed by electronic voting machine (EVM) rounds. Security arrangements were tightened across counting centres, particularly in Karaikal, where traffic diversions were put in place.
The current trends suggest that the NDA could retain power in Puducherry if the lead sustains. Rangasamy’s performance in Thattanchavady is being closely watched, given his central role in the alliance.
However, analysts note that early leads can shift as counting progresses, especially in constituencies with narrow margins.
