With less than three weeks remaining for the April 9 Assembly elections, Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangaswamy has reaffirmed his alliance with the BJP-led NDA, confirming that the coalition will contest the polls together in the Union Territory. He also agreed to accommodate a new entrant led by the elder son of lottery baron Santiago Martin, bringing an end to days of uncertainty within the ruling front.
The All India NR Congress and the BJP-led NDA will now contest the 2026 Assembly elections together for a second consecutive term. The renewed tie-up follows a period marked by delays, internal disagreements, and a near break-up of the alliance formed in 2021.
Sources indicated that the alliance negotiations had witnessed significant friction, with Rangaswamy insisting on an announcement of statehood for Puducherry before finalising the pact. He had also opposed the inclusion of the Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), floated by Santiago Martin, arguing that the party was linked to money generated from lottery sales targeting the poor.
Amid these differences, the Chief Minister had raised additional demands and skipped meetings with senior BJP leaders tasked with handling the alliance discussions, further fuelling uncertainty before the eventual agreement was reached.
புதுச்சேரி 2026 சட்டமன்றத் தேர்தலில் போட்டியிடும் நமது பாஜக வெற்றி வேட்பாளர்கள் பட்டியல். pic.twitter.com/WoSRlRKBMQ
— BJP Puducherry (@BJP4Puducherry) March 21, 2026
Under the revised arrangement, the All India NR Congress (AINRC), led by Rangaswamy, will contest 16 of the 30 seats, while the BJP will contest 10, and the AIADMK, as well as the newly formed Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi, will contest two seats each. With that, apparently, the NDA’s seat-sharing issue has been resolved.
CM Rangaswamy, who had initially strongly opposed the inclusion of the new party in the alliance (LJK), had even skipped a scheduled meeting with the BJP’s election in-charge, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, a day earlier.
After several rounds of parleys, followed by a conversation with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, he changed his mind. Rangaswamy filed his nomination papers on March 20 from Thattanchavadi and Mangalam and is set to be the NDA’s Chief Ministerial face.
Rangaswamy told media persons in Puducherry, along with Union Minister Mansukhsingh Mandaviya, “We are firmly in the NDA. There is no change in our stance. We will face the polls together.” He said Amit Shah had personally told him to take along the LJK into the alliance. He said, “Based on that advice, the new party is now part of the alliance.”
Mandaviya said, “Polls will be fought under the leadership of Rangaswamy, who is the leader of the NDA in Puducherry. The NDA poll will give an answer on giving statehood to the Puducherry Union Territory. PM Modi and Amit Shah will visit Puducherry to spearhead the poll campaign.”
The Central Election Committee of the BJP has approved the following names for the ensuing general elections to the Legislative Assembly of Puducherry:
The Central Election Committee of the BJP has approved the following names for the ensuing General elections to the Legislative Assembly of Puducherry. pic.twitter.com/IF2KtBQm30
— BJP (@BJP4India) March 21, 2026
BJP has decided to field sitting member A Namasivayam from Mannadipet, E Theepainthan in Oussudu (SC), PML Kalyanasundaram from Kalapet, VP Ramalingam from Raj Bhavan, A Johnkumar from Mudaliarpet, Embalam R Selvam from Manavely, GNS Rajasekaran from Thirunallar, TKSM Meenatchisundaram from Neravy TR Pattinam, and A Dineshan from Mahe.
In the other camp, namely the Congress and the DMK, partners in the INDI bloc, negotiations over seat-sharing continued with little sign of reaching a logical end. Congress has proposed contesting 15 seats while offering 13 to the DMK and leaving two for smaller allies.
The DMK has rejected the formula, insisting instead on an equal division of 14 seats each and deferring the choice of Chief Minister until after the election. It was the turn of Congress, which has the upper hand in the Union Territory, to seek leverage for the way it was treated in Tamil Nadu. Finally, P Chidambaram, at the behest of Sonia Gandhi, met CM Stalin and spoke to him to allot more seats. It has now been given one Rajya Sabha seat, and Puducherry Congress leaders made their stand clear that it may consider contesting alone if its terms are not agreed and talks fail.
Journalists familiar with Union Territory political dynamics say it is a well-tested and familiar pressure tactic in Puducherry’s coalition politics, where alliances are often shaped as much by leverage as by ideology.
The nomination process began on March 16, leaving limited scope for prolonged bargaining on seat-sharing and identification of Assembly segments.
Even before talks conclude successfully, DMK and Congress parties have moved ahead with nominations.
Candidates from the Congress and the DMK have filed nominations in almost all constituencies ahead of the March 23 deadline. It is hoped that they had a tacit understanding that withdrawals can follow if an agreement is reached.
Puducherry has been demanding statehood for a long time. It is a Union Territory administered by a President-appointed Lieutenant Governor (LG) under Article 239 of the Indian Constitution.
