Congress interrupts AINRC's run
What happened
Congress returned to the top of Puducherry's assembly, edging out the party that had governed since the previous election.
The Indian National Congress won 15 of the 30 seats, narrowly missing a majority on its own.
The All India N.R. Congress finished second with 8 seats.
What changed
The party that had governed Puducherry for the previous term lost its position, and the previous runner-up moved into first place.
The INC grew from 7 seats at the last election to 15 at this one.
Turnout — the share of registered voters who actually cast a ballot — barely moved from the previous election, +0.2 pp.
Notable numbers
A few numbers from that election stand out.
Karaikal South, Puducherry saw the tightest finish of the night, decided by just 20 votes — the smallest margin, how far ahead the winner finished, in votes, over whoever came second, of any seat that year.
Nellithope, Puducherry had the widest margin of the election, at 45.4%.
Ozhukarai, Puducherry drew the most crowded ballot in the state, with 17 candidates standing.
The backdrop
Even with a change at the top, the contest stayed fragmented among several parties.
5 parties won at least one seat, including 1 that went to independents.