Puducherry: Assembly elections

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This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content.

2011

Puducherry, assembly polls and voting in 2011;
Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, April 7, 2016

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Puducherry, assembly polls and voting in 2011

2016

Puducherry, assembly elections, 2016;
Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, May 20, 2016

See graphic:

Puducherry, assembly elections, 2016

2021

AINRC -NDA wins

Bosco Dominique , May 3, 2021: The Times of India

Puducherry Assembly elections, 2021
From: Bosco Dominique , May 3, 2021: The Times of India

All India NR Congress (AINRC) founder and two-time CM N Rangasamy, who had never lost an election barring his maiden one in 1990, had to swallow a bitter pill on Sunday. He lost the Yanam seat to a novice — 28-yearold independent G S Ashok, backed by Congress — by less than 1,000 votes. But Rangasamy can take pride in dethroning Congress from its stronghold as the NDA led by his party emerged the single largest party. Rangasamy, who contested from two seats, won Thattanchavady, defeating K Sethu (CPI) by 5,456 votes.

The results, declared in 27 of the total 30 seats, indicated the alliance will form the next government in Puducherry. The NDA bagged 15 of the 27 seats, needing 2 more for a simple majority, while Congressled-Secular Progressive Front got just 7. The Congress rout came after the exodus of senior leaders from the party, the anti-incumbency wave against the last government, its failure to fulfil poll promises and strained ties with allies like DMK. Five independents won, four of them AINRC supporters who’re likely to back the party.

Rangasamy had gone into a self-imposed exile after his party, which contested the 2016 assembly polls alone, lost to Congress. It also lost the 2019 parliamentary polls and two by-polls to Congress and one to DMK. But Rangasamy’s ‘wait and watch’ strategy worked. BJP, his one-time party Congress and DMK all started wooing him. He joined NDA when asked to lead the alliance, and when BJP was tightlipped on who’d be CM, declared himself the nominee. He asked his men to contest as independents from seats where his allies had nominees. The four independents who have won give him leverage; he need not depend on his allies to stay in power.