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The Election Commission of India has announced the schedule for the 2026 Puducherry Assembly elections. Voting for all 30 constituencies will take place on April 9, with results declared on May 4.
Puducherry to Vote on April 9 for 16th Legislative Assembly
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India announced the dates for the 2026 Puducherry Assembly Elections at a press conference in New Delhi. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated that voting will be held in the Union Territory of Puducherry on April 9, with counting of votes taking place on May 4. With this announcement, the electoral process has formally begun, and political parties have intensified their preparations.
According to the Election Commission, candidates can file nominations for the Puducherry Assembly elections until March 23. Scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on March 24, while candidates can withdraw their nominations until March 26. Voting will then take place on April 9, and the results will be declared on May 4.
There are a total of 30 elected seats in the Puducherry Assembly, for which elections will be held. Five of these seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC). In addition, three members are nominated by the central government, who have the same rights as elected members of the Assembly.
To form a government, any party or coalition must secure a majority of at least 16 seats. This election will be held to form the 16th Puducherry Legislative Assembly.
This election, the ruling coalition of the All India NR Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party will seek to retain its position. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy recently confirmed after meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah that his party will continue its alliance with the BJP in the 2026 elections.
In the opposition, the Indian National Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and Communist Party of India are preparing to contest the elections together. Seat-sharing talks are ongoing between the Congress and the DMK.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won a majority in the 2021 Puducherry Assembly elections. In that election, the AINRC won 10 seats, the BJP won 6, the DMK won 6, and the Congress won 2. Independent candidates also won 6 seats.
Following the election, N. Rangasamy was sworn in as Chief Minister of Puducherry for the fourth time on May 7, 2021.
The Election Commission recently conducted a special revision of the voter list. The Commission held meetings with officials and political parties to review election preparations. The Commission hopes that this time, the elections in Puducherry will be conducted peacefully and in an ideal manner.
