Puducherry election 2026: AINRC, BJP finalise seat sharing, to follow 2021 pattern

PUDUCHERRY: All India NR Congress (AINRC) and BJP have finalised seat sharing for the ensuing 2026 assembly polls in the Union territory of Puducherry after Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya and BJP in-charge for Puducherry Nirmal Kumar Surana called on AINRC founder and chief minister N Rangasamy and held discussions with him on Friday.The NDA led by AINRC in Puducherry decided to follow the 2021 pattern. AINRC would contest 16 seats while the BJP-led combine would contest 14 seats. Surana, while speaking to reporters, said the coalition had reached a consensus on the broad framework of the election strategy.“The 2021 arrangement will be maintained. The same procedure followed in the last election will continue this time. We will finalise which party contests in which specific constituency within the next day or two," Surana said.

To a query, he said new parties would join the alliance. “The alliance is set to expand, with the Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK) joining the fold. Rangasamy expressed no objection to its induction into the NDA,” he said.He said talks with AIADMK were going on. In the previous election, five seats were allocated to the AIADMK from the BJP's quota. The current number of seats for AIADMK would be decided after further discussions, he said.

To a query, he clarified that while PMK was part of the alliance, the party had not requested any seats in the previous election and had not made any formal demands for the 2026 polls yet. He took a sharp swipe at the rival Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA), and particularly targeted former chief minister V Narayanasamy."It was Narayanasamy who brought the Congress down to just two seats in the last election. The people have already given their verdict," he remarked, dismissing the opposition's challenge. He confirmed that the NDA was unified in Puducherry and there were no talks with actor-turned-politician Vijay’s TVK regarding an alliance in the Union territory.