Puducherry Assembly Elections 2026 Live Updates: Polling Ends, Voter Turnout Crosses 89%

The polling percentage has exceeded 89 in Puducherry. As per the Election Commission of India's ECINET app, a voter turnout of 89.81% across 30 Assembly constituencies has been recorded in this Union Territory.

Polling ended in all 30 Assembly constituencies in Puducherry at 6 pm. Voters who were already waiting in the queue were issued tokens and allowed to cast their votes beyond 6 pm.

The Union Territory of Puducherry registered a voter turnout of 86.92% across 30 Assembly constituencies till 5 pm on Thursday, according to Election Commission of India's ECINET app. The polling percentage in Puducherry is higher than Assam (84.42) and Kerala (75.01), where voting was held today.

The constituency-wise polling data reveals that the highest turnout was recorded in Oussudu (92.04%) followed by Mannadipet (91.88%) and Thirubhuvanai (91.50%).

In the 2021 Assembly elections, the voting percentage was 82.2 in Puducherry.

Novelist M.Mukundan casts his vote at Kasturba Gandhi High School booth Number 24 at Palloor.

State Congress President and candidate from Thattanchavady Assembly seat V Vaithilingam said that the voting has been in favour of the grand old party and the DMK alliance is performing very well. He expressed confidence in forming the government on May 4.

Here are some takeaways of polling that is underway in 30 Assembly constituencies in Puducherry since 7 am.

The Union Territory of Puducherry registered a voter turnout of 72.40% across all 30 constituencies till 3 pm, according to Election Commission of India's ECINET app.

The constituency-wise polling data reveals that the highest turnout was recorded in Thirubhuvanai (77.76%), followed by Mannadipet (76.94%) and Oussudu (76.76%).

LJK founder and NDA candidate Jose Charles Martin lauded the high voter turnout in Puducherry, saying a lot of voters are coming to show their strength and unity. "Today we can see a lot of people coming forward to show their strength and unity. So this is Indian democracy and we will show our strength and power," he said.

Actor Vijay, whose party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is emerging as a new political force in Puducherry, urged voters to remain vigilant till the end of polling and ensure they cast their votes.

"Puducherry's esteemed voters, with only a few more hours left in this election, I urge you to remain vigilant until the very last minute of polling and ensure you cast your votes," Vijay posted on his X handle.

Puducherry has logged 56.83 per cent turnout till 1 pm, according to the data available on the Election Commission of India's application. The UT is witnessing brisk polling despite scorching weather.

The highest turnout was recorded in Thirubhuvanai (62.35%), followed by Embalam (62.06%) and Mannadipet (60.94%), as per ECINET app.

The electorate of Puducherry had to brave the excessive heat prevailing across the union territory to cast their votes. Intermittent cool breezes from the sea came in handy during the early hours of the day. The real feel, according to ETV Bharat ground teams, was 41° C at 10.30 am. They say it may get worse as the day progresses. There were complaints from a few booths that the arrangements to provide water to the voters, as directed by the Election Commission was not done. The Weather Bureau of the United Kingdom, on its website, has categorised Puducherry as "excessive heat". The same was followed by Google, which tagged it as “Severe Weather Alert”.

A clash broke out between workers of national parties, Congress and BJP, in Mannadipet in Puducherry, after one group accused the other of canvassing for votes inside the polling booth. Congress workers took exception to the BJP functionaries present inside the polling booth. They claimed that the saffron party workers were involved in campaigning which is not permissible when the polling is underway. As the news spread, Congress workers started congregating at a polling booth in Thirukkanur government school. Police who were involved in the security suggested the gathered workers to disperse which was not paid heed to by the Congress workers. Police subsequently resorted to a mild lathi charge to disperse the crowd. The voting continued without any disruptions. Earlier, Puducherry Home Minister A Namassivayam cast his vote in Mannadipet. Congress has fielded TPR Selvame from this seat. A total of 11 candidates are in the race.

BJP's Puducherry General Secretary Mohan Kumar who cast his vote in Villianur said that the NDA was coming back with new vigour. He took his case as an example of how people have been enthusiastically waiting in long queues to cast their votes. As you see, I and my family had waited for nearly two hours in the queue before we cast our votes. Look at the enthusiasm of people who are turning up in large numbers.

"This is a testimony to the double engine government. It shows how people want a better Puducherry in all aspects. They have seen it flourish in the past five years. They will surely give the next term as well," he said adding, "Everyone is voting for a developed Puducherry". He asserted that the people of Puducherry have vested their faith on NDA for development. They development under the leadership of PM Modi will speak for itself. NDA will form its government here, he added.

Asked how sure he was about the winning prospects, the party leader suggested that one can see the vigour of the turnout in every booth across the union territory and the reason is the development the territory had witnessed in the past five year regime of the NDA here.

He reiterated that brisk voting since morning is pro-incumbency. "Roughly, 25 per cent of the total electorage have already cast their votes by 9.30 am today," he claimed.

As per the latest figures by the Election Commission of India, Puducherry has recorded 37.06% turnout till 11 am. Kariakal district has logged 36.96% turnout, while Puducherry has seen 37.08 percent turnout so far.

A surveillance drone helped police nab a gang involved in bribing voters in Puducherry in Manaveli area. The drone visuals show the police and flying squad team members zeroing in on a terrace in the locality. A policeman is seen identifying the spot near the water tank where the gang had tucked away currency notes. He takes out a wad of Rs 500 denomination notes from that spot. The cop then checks other items stashed below the water tank. The other team members are seen videographing the seizure. He then counts the money in front of the team. The drone visual ends after he looks into it. Police teams have picked up a few persons involved in the bribing racket and are in the process of establishing whom they were representing.

In Manaveli constituency, RKR Anantharaman is fielded by Congress, while BJP has nominated Embalam Selvam, B Ramu is fighting on a Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam ticket, and M.S. Elangovan is contesting on Naam Tamilar Katchi ticket. A total of eight candidates are in the fray.

Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangaswamy exercised his franchise at a polling station in Thilaspet area. The CM arrived in his heritage motorcycle Yamaha RX100 at the polling station set up at the Government Boys High School here. He waited in the queue to cast his vote. He was seen leaving the polling station on his bike without wearing a helmet.

His AINRC has nominated him from Mangalam and Thattanchavady assembly constituencies.

Later, he spoke to reporters, sitting in his car, that he would win from both the seats. When reporters insisted on him to predict the numbers for his combine, the incumbent CM refused.

“Numbers don’t matter. I will win both seats. We will come back stronger and form the government,” he said.

Earlier, he offered prayers at Sri Sarguru Appa Paithiyam Swamigal Thirukovil Temple in Thattanchavady. His party is contesting from 16 seats in alliance with BJP, AIADMK and LJK.

Puducherry recorded a total of 17.41 per cent turnout across the union territory at 9 am as per the polling trends feature provided by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The polling began at 7 am in all 1,099 polling stations here. Mahe constituency which is a non-contiguous area of the union territory recorded the lowest turnout of 13.42 per cent. The highest turnout was recorded at Embalam - 19.47 per cent, closely followed by Thirubhuvanai with 19.98 per cent.

In 2021 polls, the final voter turnout was 82% in 2021 polls.

DMK workers descended in Bahour area of Puducherry following reports of disbursal of gift coupons worth Rs 1,500 trickled out, on Thursday.

Workers from the Dravidian party rushed to capture those involved in the act as they got to know that the coupons issued can be exchanged for groceries at local stores.

The purported workers of the All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) fled the scene at the sight of the DMK workers, ditching the coupons they were holding. The "coupon" bore the words of gift and an AINRC party themed flag, with the face value of Rs 1,500 printed. The aggrieved DMK workers expressed their displeasure with the AINRC workers who were later present at a police station in the neighbourhood. It escalated into a wordy altercation. Police brokered peace with the two groups which dispersed from the scene peacefully.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge urged denizens of Puducherry to bring back the government that would truly work for its people. He reeled out a list of issues including corruption and unemployment as plaguing the people of union territory, billing it as an opportune moment to tackle it. He also suggested that the union territory should attain its statehood, besides ensuring jobs, safety and dignity of every one.

"My dear sisters and brothers of Puducherry, Today is your moment to step out and vote against corruption, unemployment, drugs, paper leaks and misuse of your land and resources. It is time to for statehood, jobs, safety, honest governance, and dignity for every citizen," Kharge wrote in a post on X.

He urged the electorate to "safeguard" their children’s future and "to bring back a government that truly works for the people". The Congress leader said it would restore Puducherry to the path of progress. "Vote for integrity," the post read.

Former Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy cast his vote at the polling station at VOC Government School in Puducherry. He told the media that the alliance led by the Grand Old Party would form the government. He claimed that the people of Puducherry have chosen the INDIA bloc and it will come to power. He said, "I am confident that the INDIA alliance will form the government here." He also urged the people to "exercise their franchise".

The Congress leader did not enter the poll fray to make way for the INDIA bloc alliance to take roots in the Union Territory. He had earlier contested and won from Nellithope seat which had now gone to the alliance partner DMK. The DMK had fielded V Cartigueyane from this seat.

A robot, Nila, has been posted at VOC Govt Higher Secondary School in Puducherry to welcome the voters as the Union Territory goes to polls today in the Assembly Elections. The robot wore a saree and carried a tray of flowers as voters lined up enthusiastically.

"This is an event-based robot - events like weddings, official work and elections. We are coming from Coimbatore. Nila robot has multiple features...It also has a voice feature, and it can talk on its own. We can feed in the command, and the voice will be audible to the person nearby. She is welcoming the voters here," said Kaushik from Robo Mirror, the company that has built Nila.

The Union Territory has a total of 9.50 lakh voters spread over Puducherry (23 Assembly segments) Karaikal (five), Mahe and Yanam (having one constituency each).

Prime Minister Narednra Modi urged the electorate of Puducherry to cast their votes and make it a record. He laid an emphasis on youth and women to contribute to strengthen democracy through voting, saying that every vote will matter in "shaping the future Puducherry".

"As the Puducherry Assembly elections commence, I urge every voter to come out and participate in record numbers," he wrote from his verified personal handle on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"I especially appeal to our youth and to women voters to strengthen the process of democracy. Every vote matters in shaping the future of Puducherry," the post read.

He sent out a similar tweet in Tamil.

Here is a list of all 30 constituencies going to the polls in Puducherry today:

1. Mannadipet (General)
2. Thirubhuvanai SC
3. Oussudu (SC)
4. Mangalam
5. Villianur
6. Ozhukarai
7. Kadirgamam
8. Indira Nagar
9. Thattanchavady
10. Kamaraj Nagar
11. Lawspet
12. Kalapet
13. Muthialpet
14. Raj Bhavan
15. Oupalam
16. Orleampeth
17. Nellithope
18. Mudaliarpet
19. Ariankuppam
20. Manavely
21. Embalam (SC)
22. Nettapakkam (SC)
23. Bahour (General)
24. Nedungadu (SC)
25. Thirunallar
26. Karaikal North
27. Karaikal South
28. Neravy – T. R. Pattinam
29. Mahe
30. Yanam

The campaign trail for Puducherry Assembly Elections 2026 has been dominated by gritty local concerns, including:

The Statehood Question: A perennial issue that has gained fresh momentum as parties debate the administrative friction between the elected government and the Lieutenant Governor’s office.

Youth Unemployment: With promises of semiconductor parks and tourism hubs, candidates are racing to capture the 18-25 demographic.

A total of 1,099 polling stations have been set up across the Union Territory, with around 5,000 government officials deployed for election duty. Special arrangements have been made to facilitate voting for senior citizens and persons with disabilities. Basic amenities such as drinking water and sanitation facilities have also been ensured at polling booths.

With a historically high voter turnout, often exceeding 80%, Puducherry is expected to maintain its tradition this time as well.

Polling will take place from 7 AM to 6 PM. Educational institutions, government offices, and factories have been declared closed today (April 9), and employers have been instructed to grant paid leave to employees to enable them to vote.

In view of the elections, prohibitory orders under Section 144 have been imposed across Puducherry. As per the order, gatherings of five or more persons are prohibited, and election-related rallies, public meetings, and carrying of weapons have been banned.

Liquor shops operated by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation along the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry border have been ordered to shut. Flying squads and police personnel are conducting strict surveillance along interstate borders. Heavy security deployment has also been made in Karaikal and other sensitive areas, with paramilitary forces conducting flag marches.