The Mannadipet Assembly Constituency in Puducherry has emerged once again as a key seat to watch in the Union Territory. Situated in the Viluppuram district of Puducherry, Mannadipet is a constituency with a predominantly rural character, interspersed with semi-urban settlements. Its electorate includes farmers, agricultural labourers, small business owners and a growing cohort of youth voters focused on education, employment opportunities and basic civic amenities. Over the years, Mannadipet has witnessed closely fought contests that reflect broader shifts in Puducherry politics, with regional and national parties vying for influence in local affairs. It is constituency number 1 of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly. The constituency is a general seat and it is not reserved for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs).
Mannadipet Assembly Election: Key Candidates
The key candidates for the Mannadipet seat are Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) A Namassivayam, Congress leader TPR Selvame and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam's (TVK) K Bharathithasan. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), All India N.R. Congress (AINRC), Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Congress, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katch (VCK), Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), AIAMK, DMK, and Aam Admi Party (AAP) are the main parties in the Union Territory.
Mannadipet Constituency Demographic Profile
As per data from the Election Commission, there were 28,853 voters in the Mannadipet constituency during the 2021 Assembly Elections. Out of this, 13,263 were male and 15,119 were female voters. 3 voters belonged to the third gender. 468 postal votes were cast in the constituency. The number of service voters in Mannadipet was 19 (19 men and 0 women).
In 2016, the total number of voters in the Mannadipet constituency was 27,586. Out of this, 12,837 voters were male, 14,442 were female and none voter belonged to a third gender. There were 306 valid postal votes in the constituency. The number of service voters in Mannadipet in 2016 was 12 (8 men and 4 women).
Mannadipet Constituency 2021 and 2016 Winners (Candidates and Parties)
In the 2021 Puducherry Assembly Elections, BJP candidate A Namassivayam won the Mannadipet seat with a margin of 2,750 votes (9.67%). He polled 14,939 votes with a vote share of 51.82%. He defeated DMK candidate A Krishnan AK Kumar, who got 12,189 votes (42.28%). NTK candidate Chitra stood third with 485 votes (1.68%).
In the 2016 Puducherry Assembly Elections, AINRC candidate TPR Selvame won the Mannadipet seat with a margin of 419 votes (1.52%). He polled 7,679 votes with a vote share of 27.86%. DMK candidate TPR Selvame got 7,260 votes (26.34%) and was the runner-up. ADMK candidate Mahadevi stood third with 5,676 votes (20.60%).
