S. Anusuya

President Droupadi Murmu appointed N Rangasamy chief minister of Puducherry, and the Lieutenant Governor invited him to form the government. The AINRC leader will begin a fifth term after the NDA's comfortable election victory.

Puducherry Assembly Election Results 2026 Highlights: The high-stakes battle in the Union Territory for the 30 elected seats witnessed a fierce contest between the ruling NDA, led by Chief Minister N Rangasamy’s AINRC along with the BJP and AIADMK, and the opposition INDIA bloc, comprising the Congress and DMK. The election, held on April 9, recorded a near 90 per cent voter turnout. AINRC-led NDA secured 18 seats.

The BJP-led NDA will retain Puducherry for a second straight term and may get 16-20 seats, exit polls predicted. The DMK-led opposition alliance, which is hoping to return to power after five years, is likely to win 6-12 seats.

He urged voters to support the party's "whistle" symbol in the Union Territory to usher in a "one-finger revolution", an apparent reference to a dialogue from one of his movies.

Seat-sharing delays between the Indian National Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam have led to multiple “friendly contests” in Puducherry, with both parties fielding candidates in overlapping constituencies. The late pact has triggered on-ground rivalry, exposing coordination gaps within the INDIA bloc.

The Congress-DMK alliance in Puducherry faced a setback after the VCK decided to contest independently in three Assembly seats for the April 9 polls, while extending support to alliance candidates in the remaining constituencies.

The party said it will contest all the 30 constituencies on its own. TVK's list includes two women, who have been fielded from Mangalam and Kadirkamam in Puducherry region.