N. Rangaswamy led the All India N.R. Congress to another term in power in Puducherry.¹

It won 12 seats on its own, short of the 16-seat mark.

Its NDA alliance — a group of parties that team up to fight an election together, and share power afterward if they win enough seats between them — secured the majority, with 18 of the territory's 30 seats.

It polled 23.1% of the vote, which still delivered 40.0% of the seats.

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was next, with 5 seats on 13.7% of the vote.

The Election Commission of India announced the schedule for the Puducherry assembly election on 15 March 2026, setting polling for 9 April and counting for 4 May.²

Five days later, the AINRC-led National Democratic Alliance finalised its seat-sharing arrangement, giving the AINRC 16 seats, the BJP 10, and the AIADMK and Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi 2 each. Incumbent Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy, leading the alliance, filed nominations from two constituencies, Mangalam and Thattanchavady.³¹

On 22 March the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, led by actor-politician Vijay, announced candidates for all 30 constituencies, contesting independently of both main alliances.⁴

The following day the Indian National Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam finalised their own seat-sharing pact for the Secular Progressive Alliance, agreeing to contest 17 and 13 seats respectively. The Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi walked out of that alliance a day later over the seat-sharing arrangement. It reversed course on 6 April, agreeing to back the alliance's candidates everywhere except Oulgret, where it kept its own nominee.⁵⁶⁷

The AINRC extended its hold on Puducherry's government this election.

Its own seat count grew from 10 to 12.

That extended its winning streak to 2 elections in a row.

The single biggest movement ran from the Independent to the AINRC, covering 3 of the 20 seats that changed hands across the territory.

Turnout, the share of registered voters who actually cast a ballot, rose +9.5 pp from the previous election — the highest Puducherry has recorded.

Raj Bhavan, Puducherry saw the closest race of the election: the winner's margin — how far ahead the winner finished, in votes, over whoever came second — was 287 votes.

Thirunallar, Puducherry saw the widest margin of the election, with the winner finishing 34.1% of the vote ahead of the runner-up.

Bahour, Puducherry recorded the highest turnout of any seat, with 95.8% of registered voters casting a ballot.

Villianur, Puducherry was the largest constituency by registered voters, with 42,884 names on its rolls.

Ozhukarai, Puducherry drew the most candidates anywhere in the territory, 14 names on the ballot.

NOTA — 'None of the Above,' a ballot option letting voters formally reject every candidate on offer — drew 6,633 votes across the territory, 0.8% of everything cast.

The former French territories of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam became the Union Territory of Puducherry on 1 July 1963, with an elected Legislative Assembly of 30 members.⁸

N. Rangasamy left the Indian National Congress and founded the AINRC on 7 February 2011, and the new party won the largest share of seats that year in alliance with the AIADMK.⁹

Puducherry's Congress-led government fell in February 2021 when it lost a confidence vote in the Assembly, and Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy's council of ministers resigned the same day, ahead of that year's election.¹⁰