The BJP has announced its list of nine candidates for the upcoming April 9 Assembly elections in Puducherry, following a seat-sharing agreement with the ruling All India NR Congress (AINRC) and its allies. The arrangement was finalised after discussions between Chief Minister and AINRC leader N Rangasamy and Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at a private hotel in Puducherry.
Under the agreement, the AINRC will contest 16 of the 30 Assembly seats, while the remaining 14 seats will be shared by the BJP, AIADMK, and Lakshia Jananayaga Katchi (LJK). From its quota, the BJP has allocated two seats each to the AIADMK and the LJK.
The BJP’s candidates include PML Kalyanasundaram from Kalapet, G N S Rajasekaran from Thirunallar, A Namassivayam from Mannadipet, VP Ramalingame from Rajbhavan, and A Johnkumar from Mudaliarpet. Embalam R Selvam will contest from Manavely, TKSM Meenatchisundaram from Neravy, TR Pattinam, and A Dineshan from Mahe. E Theeppainthan has been fielded from Oussudu, which is a reserved constituency for Scheduled Castes.
The inclusion of the LJK in the alliance came after initial resistance from Rangasamy, who had earlier opposed accommodating the party led by Jose Charles Martin. However, he agreed to its inclusion following discussions with Mandaviya.
In the previous Assembly elections held in 2021, the AINRC contested 16 seats and secured victory in 10. The BJP contested nine seats and won six, while the AIADMK contested five seats but failed to win any.
The Puducherry Assembly elections will be conducted in a single phase on April 9, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4.
