The Puducherry Assembly elections on April 9, 2026, saw a voter turnout of 90.47% at polling stations, according to final data from the Election Commission. This marks the highest participation rate in the Union Territory’s history, surpassing all records since the inaugural assembly election in 1964.
Voters in the areas of Puducherry, Mahe, and Yanam formed long lines and participated actively. The overall polling station turnout was 90.47%, with Oussudu constituency leading at 94.39% and Mahe recording the lowest at 77.41%.
Despite high temperatures, residents queued patiently, supported by shaded areas, tents, and seating at voting locations.
Additionally, 10,749 postal ballots were cast, bringing the total votes to 729,172 when combined with machine-recorded votes. This represents 91.83% of the eligible electorate in Puducherry.
Around 13,000 individuals, including elderly people, those with disabilities, and essential service workers involved in the election, used postal voting options.
All electronic voting machines were secured and sealed with polling agents present, then stored in strong rooms for each constituency under the watch of candidates and their representatives. These will remain guarded by central armed forces until counting on May 4, 2026.
Candidates and agents can check the machines’ security during this time, as per Election Commission guidelines.
Puducherry’s Chief Electoral Officer, P. Jawahar, reported that nine public employees were suspended for engaging in political activities, with disciplinary proceedings started against nine others for similar involvement.
Authorities have confiscated items worth Rs. 8.4 crore, including gold, alcohol, cash, and inducements aimed at influencing voters.
A group of nine observers from Kyrgyzstan, Ivory Coast, Moldova, Mongolia, Guyana, and Bhutan visited selected polling sites to monitor the process.
Election officials introduced the Meipporul 2.0 app to combat false information, leading to the removal of 113 deceptive social media posts by cybersecurity teams. They also addressed 76 of 84 complaints through the C-Vigil app within the required 100 minutes.
This election featured 1,099 polling stations, with five reserved for Scheduled Castes and none for Scheduled Tribes. A total of 294 candidates competed for 30 seats, plus three nominated by the central government. Parties nominated 40 women candidates. Among the 950,000 registered voters, 500,000 were women and 140 were third-gender individuals.
Following a special summary revision, approximately 8% of names were removed from the voter lists in 2026.
The main contenders include the National Democratic Alliance, headed by the All India N.R. Congress, and the INDIA alliance, which includes Congress, DMK, and VCK. The participation of actor-politician Vijay’s Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam has generated considerable interest.
Analysts suggest that Tamizhaga Vettri Kazhagam could disrupt the contest. Predictions indicate a possible second term for the NDA-led All India N.R. Congress. Actor-director Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi has candidates in every seat.
