With Puducherry gearing up for the next election, scheduled for April 9, it would be interesting to see how the Union Territory voted in the last three assembly elections.
Puducherry Assembly has 30 seats. In many ways, the 2011 Assembly elections proved to be a watershed in the political history of the Union Territory. That year heralded the beginning of the journey of a new regional grouping – the All India NR Congress (AINRC), led by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy – which proved capable of challenging the dominance of major political parties such as the Congress, DMK, AIADMK and the Left in the electoral landscape of the former French enclave.
Several coups
The formation of the regional body after the Government of Union Territories Act came into force in 1963, which was able to form a government on its own, brought with it several upheavals in the political scene of Puducherry. More than 15 years after its inception, the AINRC remains the fulcrum around which Puducherry politics is focused – a role once held by the Congress.
Mr. Rangasamy was originally a Congressman. Following his removal as chief minister in the Congress government in 2008 following a cabinet revolt, Mr. Rangasamy, just days before the 2011 assembly elections, decided to end his decades-old association with the Grand Old Party and form his own group. The party went into the election in alliance with the AIADMK, secured 15 of the 18 seats it contested and formed the government on its own.
AINRC’s entry into the political arena led to several shifts and dissent in the years leading up to the 2026 elections. Although the Congress still holds its ground despite a serious setback in the 2021 assembly elections, a parallel story along with the rise of the AINRC has been the emergence of the BJP with a strong organizational base and the decline of the AIADMK.
The Congress bounced back in 2016 with voters electing its candidates in 15 of the 21 constituencies it contested. He formed the government with the support of his ally, the DMK. However, the AINRC retained its vote share and became the main opposition party, winning eight seats.
Expansion of BJP
Congress rule in 2016-21 saw a parallel push by the BJP central leadership to expand the party’s reach across the country. It also saw the saffron party making aggressive moves to establish its political base in the Union Territory. The BJP took its first step in this effort by naming three party members as nominated legislators in the Assembly in 2018. Then, by sidelining legislators from other parties, especially the Congress, the BJP forced its way to the center of Puducherry politics by 2021.
From a party that had consistently lost electoral deposits till 2016, the BJP managed to change its fortunes in the last assembly elections by joining hands with the AINRC to form the first NDA government in Puducherry.
The AIADMK, which once ruled the territory, was wiped out in the last elections. It contested the 2021 elections in alliance with AINRC and BJP but could not win a single seat.
The result of the last election led to changes in the power equations and in the INDIA bloc. DMK, which contested the polls in 13 constituencies, won in six, while its ally Congress, which was in 14 constituencies, could only win in two. The DMK’s position as the main opposition party in the current assembly has strengthened its bargaining power with the Congress for this year’s elections. The Congress, which led the alliance in the last elections, has suddenly fallen out of favor with other partners, including the Left and VCK.
Marginal players
Left parties, especially the CPI, which played a major role in Puducherry’s independence and enjoyed a share of power after the territory’s merger with the Indian Union, have been relegated to marginal players in the last three parliamentary elections.
If there has been any major change in the political sphere recently, it is the emergence of a new faction, the Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), headed by businessman Jose Charles Martin, son of lottery king Santiago Martin.
The younger Martin, through his business partners among BJP legislators and independents, arrived on the scene as a hearty donor, doling out largesse under the guise of welfare in constituencies held by the ruling party. Last year, Mr. Jose decided to form LJK and launched an initiative to provide free food in three constituencies, two of which are held by the BJP.
Last Deepavali, the LJK went into overdrive, distributing gift items, prompting many top politicians — former Chief Minister V Narayanasamy among them — to emulate Martin junior in select constituencies.
Although gift-giving has been a practice followed by all parties over the years, the deep-pocketed businessman’s decision to venture into electoral politics could change the dynamics of the 2026 elections.
Published – 27 March 2026 22:49 IST
