As the polling is being held in the Union Territory (UT) of Puducherry for the 2026 assembly elections, Chief Minister N Rangaswamy arrived on a motorcycle at a polling booth on Thursday to cast his vote. Rangasamy is All India NR Congress' candidate from the Thattanchavady assembly constituency.
After casting his vote, the chief minister said he is confident of his victory, hoping that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) retains power in the state. "In both the constituencies, I will win. More than numbers, forming the government is important to me," Rangasamy said.
Rangasamy's AINRC is part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which also consists the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), and the Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK). Under the seat-sharing pact, the AINRC is contesting on 16 seats and the BJP was given 14 seats. From BJP's quota, the AIADMK and the LJK were given two seats each.
The 2026 Puducherry elections
The polling is underway for the assembly elections in Puducherry, where the NDA is looking to retain power, while the INDIA bloc is trying to wrest control. The INDIA bloc comprises the Congress, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK).
As per the Election Commission of India (ECI), around 9.50 lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes to decide the fate of 294 candidates. The poll body has also set up 1,099 polling stations across the union territory, including 209 for the vulnerable. Of these, 30 are being managed by women and 15 by young officers.
PM Modi's appeal to voters
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the voters in Puducherry to come out and participate in record numbers. He said this will help in strengthening the democracy.
"In particular, I appeal to our youth and women voters to strengthen the democratic process. Every vote is crucial in shaping the future of Puducherry," he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
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