The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the All India NR Congress (AINRC), retained the 30-member Puducherry assembly after winning 17 of the 30 seats in the union territory.
AINRC won 12 seats, BJP four, and AIADMK and Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi (LJK) one seat each.
Chief Minister and AINRC leader N Rangasamy won from Thattanchavadi and Mangalam, the two seats from which he contested the April 9 Assembly elections in the Union Territory.
While the CM defeated rival Neyam Makkal Kazhagam E Vinayagam by 4,441 votes in Thattanchavady, his pocket seat, Rangasamy also emerged victorious in Managalam, defeating DMK’s SS Rangan by 7,050 votes.
This is not the first time that Rangasamy has sought to contest on two seats. He contested from Yanam and Thattanchavady in the 2021 assembly elections. However, he was defeated in Yanam and succeeded in Thattanchavady.
In opposition, the DMK won five seats and the Congress one seat.
Actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay TVK won two seats with its candidates B Ramu and Sai J Saravanan Kumar winning from Manaveli and Thiruppuvannai assembly constituencies respectively. He defeated BJP’s Ramu Impalam Selvam, the outgoing Assembly Speaker. Saravanan Kumar defeated B Kobija of Congress.
LJK founder and lottery kingpin, Jose Charles Martin, was elected from Kamaraj Nagar constituency. He defeated his Congress rival PK Devadoss. According to Election Commission data, Martin got 16,592 votes and Devadoss got 10,205 votes.
