Puducherry: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is all set to form the government in Puducherry after emerging victorious in assembly polls.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Puducherry consists of the All India N.R. Congress, which contested in 16 of the Union Territory's 30 seats, the BJP nine and the AIADMK five.
The All India NR Congress secured 10 seats, and about 25.8 per cent of the total vote share, while the BJP won six, about 13 per cent. The AIADMK drew a blank but managed to garner 4.14 per cent of the total votes.
While independents secured six seats, the Indian National Congress, whose government collapsed before completing its five-year term under Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, managed to score two seats and 15.7 per cent of the total vote share.
The DMK, who fought the polls in alliance with Congress, secured six seats (18.5 per cent).
After the NR Congress, BJP and AIDMK alliance crossed the simple majority mark, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister Amit Shah among other leaders thanked the people of the union territory.
AINRC Chief and former Chief Minister N Rangasamy triumphed in the Thattanchavady constituency and wrested the seat from DMK.
Read:| Puducherry Election Results LIVE: NDA wins 12 assembly seats, set to form govt
Rangasamy aspired for annexing two segments-Thattanchavady and Yanam- in the April 6 polls.
However, his move to get elected from Yanam seemed to be a far cry to him as the Independent candidate Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok backed by the Congress turned out to be a formidable rival.
The Thattanchavady segment in Puducherry brought Rangasamy cheers as he annexed the seat with a margin of 5,456 votes over his immediate CPI rival K Sethu alias Sethu Selvam.
A Namassivayam of BJP emerged victorious from the Mannadipet constituency after defeating his DMK rival A Krishnan.
Namassivayam, who shifted his allegiance to the saffron party in January this year after quitting the Congress, contested the April 6 poll from the Mannadipet seat as BJP nominee.
The former minister polled 14,939 votes while his rival secured 12,189 votes.
A greenhorn in poll battle, U Lakshmikandhan of AINRC wrested the Embalam (reserved) segment from Congress by defeating its candidate and former Welfare Minister M Kandasamy.
Chief Electoral Officer Shurbir Singh told reporters that the BJP nominee A John Kumar was declared elected from Kamaraj Nagar.
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Kumar defeated his immediate Congress rival and former Industries Minister M O H F Shah Jahan.
John Kumar was elected from Kamaraj Nagar in the by-election held in November 2019 on a Congress ticket.
He has now retained the segment but on a different party ticket.
Kumar joined BJP in February after quitting Congress and contested the April 6 poll locking horns with the former Industries Minister.
M Vaithianathan of Congress defeated BJP's V Saminathan, who is president of the Puducherry unit of the party, by a margin of 5,652 votes in the Lawspet constituency.
Saminathan was one of the nominated legislators in the outgoing Assembly.
Vaithianathan quit the AINRC a few months ago and joined the Congress.
Sixteen seats are required for a simple majority in the 30-member assembly.
(with agency inputs)
