Chief Minister N Rangasamy heading the AINRC in the Union Territory and his party candidates were leading in at least seven Assembly constituencies as votes polled in the April 9 elections were being counted. According to the Election Commission, Rangasamy, who is contesting from two constituencies in the UT, was ahead in Thattanchavady by a margin of 3,591 votes.
AINRC candidates R Ravikumar, Vaiyapuri Manikandan, C Aiyappan, E Mohandoss, P Rajavelu, and P R N Thirumurugan were ahead in Villianur, Muthialpet, Ariankuppam, Enbalam, Nettapakkam, and Karaikal North, Election Commission data revealed. BJP candidates A Namassivayam and T K SM Meenatchisundaram were ahead in Mannadipet and Neravy T R Pattinam constituencies.
counting of votes started at 8 am
The counting of votes started at 8 am on Monday in all six designated counting centres in Puducherry. The vote-counting exercise commenced with the postal ballots, and at 8.30 am, counting of votes recorded in EVMs was taken up.
Elections to 30 Assembly segments were held in the state on April 9. The incumbent AINRC regime has put up a big fight to retain power. And the Opposition INDIA bloc comprising parties, including Congress and DMK, despite friction among them, has shown determination to unseat CM N Rangasamy-led NR Congress government.
Contest involved the NDA, which includes the AINRC
In Puducherry, the contest involved the NDA, which includes the AINRC, the BJP and the Congress-DMK alliance. Actor Vijay's TVK had also sought to make it triangular. The electoral contest in Puducherry primarily featured the NDA and the Congress-DMK alliance, though actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) also attempted to make the contest triangular.
TVK contested in alliance with Naam Tamilar Katchi (PNMK), alongside other parties such as PMK, NTK, and CPI(M).Seat-sharing arrangements saw the NDA partners dividing constituencies with AINRC contesting 16 seats, BJP 10 seats, and AIADMK and LJK contesting two seats each.
INDIA bloc features Congress contesting 16 seats and DMK contesting 14
On the other side, the INDIA bloc featured the Congress contesting 16 seats and the DMK contesting 14. VCK, despite being part of the SPA in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, chose to contest three seats independently in Puducherry after being offered only one. The current term of the 30-member Puducherry Legislative Assembly is scheduled to expire on June 15. The counting of votes is underway on May 4, with final results expected later in the day.
Also Read:
Puducherry Election Results: AINRC+BJP+AIADMK alliance reaches majority mark in early trends
