The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the All India NR Congress (AINRC), has retained power in the 30-member Puducherry assembly after securing a landslide victory in the Union Territory.
The AINRC won 12 seats, the BJP four, and the AIADMK and Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi (LJK) one seat each.
Chief Minister and AINRC leader N Rangasamy won from Thattanchavady and Mangalam, the two seats from which he contested the April 9 Assembly elections in the Union Territory.
While the CM trounced Neyam Makkal Kazhagam rival E Vinayagam by 4,441 votes in Thattanchavady, his pocket borough seat, Rangasamy also emerged victorious in Managalam, defeating DMK’s SS Rangan by 7,050 votes.
This is not the first time Rangasamy has sought to contest from two seats. He contested in Yanam and Thattanchavady in the 2021 Assembly polls. However, he was defeated in Yanam and successful in Thattanchavady.
In the opposition, the DMK won five seats and the Congress one.
Actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay’s TVK won two seats with its candidates B Ramu and Sai J Saravanan Kumar winning from Manavely and Thirubuvanai assembly constituencies respectively.
Ramu defeated BJP’s Embalam Selvam, the outgoing assembly speaker. Saravanan Kumar defeated B Kobiga of the Congress.
LJK founder and lottery king, Jose Charles Martin, was elected from the Kamaraj Nagar constituency. He defeated his Congress rival, PK Devadoss. According to Election Commission data, Martin polled 16,592 votes, and Devadoss got 10,205 votes.
