Puducherry votes on April 9, 2026, in a single-phase election for 30 seats, with 294 candidates in the fray. Longest-serving Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, 75, leads the AINRC-BJP NDA alliance, seeking another term on a plank of welfare schemes, infrastructure projects, and a renewed push for statehood and smoother coordination with the BJP-led government at the Centre.
As the election date approaches on April 9, 2026, Puducherry is all set to vote for 30 constituencies in the Union Territory (UT). According to the official data of the Election Commission of India (ECI), a total of 294 candidates are contesting the polls in a single phase, with counting to be conducted on May 4, 2026.
The 75-year-old political stalwart N. Rangasamy, who is the incumbent Chief Minister of Puducherry, is looking to retain his seat in the upcoming Puducherry Assembly elections. Rangasamy is the head of his All India NR Congress Party (AINRC), which is an ally of the NDA alliance BJP.
He is Puducherry’s longest-serving CM, having served three terms. N. Rangasamy first became the CM on October 27, 2001, and held his position until September 3, 2008, with a record 6 years, 312 days in office. He started his political career with the Congress party before breaking away to form his own party, the AINRC, in 2011. Since then, he has dominated local politics. He became the CM for a second time in 2011, having served till 2016, and then again in 2021.
Rangasamy is hugely inspired by K Kamaraj, who was a freedom fighter, and also became the CM of Tamil Nadu. He is referred to as “Makkal Mudhalvar” (People’s Chief Minister), and also fondly called Junior Kamaraj. For this election, he is contesting the polls from two seats: his home base Thattanchavady constituency, from where he has been elected an MLA several times, and the Mangalam constituency.
Throughout his time in office, Rangasamy has focused heavily on local welfare. His past terms saw the launch of important plans like the Kamarajar Housing Scheme to help make Puducherry hut-free, and breakfast programs for government school students.
During his current term, he has pushed for more direct benefits. His government revived the public distribution system (PDS) to ensure rice is delivered directly to people's homes. He also points to his record of filling around 5,000 vacant government jobs in the last five years, providing Rs 2,500 in monthly assistance to women heads of families, and raising old-age pensions to up to Rs 4,000. Infrastructure development, like a massive Rs 750 crore integrated riverfront project, has also been a major focus ahead of the upcoming polls.
He has multiple times stated that the governance will be efficient in Puducherry if the same party that is ruling the Centre is in the UT. Admitting that the power ultimately lies with the Lieutenant Governor (LG), he said that it becomes a hurdle if the parties at the UT and the centre have differences between them. However, he also calls for statehood for Puducherry, stating that ultimately the power should be with local legislators in drafting policies.
In his election affidavit, he has filed his total income at ₹1,93,110 for Financial Year 2024-2025. His total movable assets are declared at ₹21,25,752, which includes two Yamaha bikes, a Honda City car, and a Kia Carnival. His total immovable assets, including multiple properties, are about ₹27 crore. His grand total of liabilities is ₹35 lakh. He has also mentioned in his affidavit that he has a Bachelor of Commerce from Tagore Arts College, Puducherry, and a Bachelor in Law from Ambedkar Law College, Puducherry, in 1977.
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