NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday named M Arulmurugan as its candidate for the upcoming Puducherry assembly elections, set to be held on April 9. The announcement follows the BJP’s release of the first list of candidates a day earlier. Arulmurugan will contest from the Karaikal South constituency in the Union territory.With this, the BJP has announced candidates for all 10 seats it will contest in Puducherry.
Here’s a list of all the candidates
- M Arulmurugan from Karaikal South
- A Namassivayam will contest from Mannadipet
- E Theeppainthan from Oussoudu (SC)
- PML Kalyanasundaram from Kalapet
- VP Ramalingame from Raj Bhavan
- A Johnkumar from Mudaliarpet
- Embalam R Selvam from Manavely
- GNS Rajasekaran from Thirunallar
- A Dineshan from Mahe
Seat sharingThe BJP is contesting the election in alliance with the ruling All India NR Congress, with which it won the 2021 polls. Under the agreed formula, AINRC will contest 16 seats, while the BJP and its allies will fight the remaining 14 seats. From its quota, the BJP has allotted two seats each to the AIADMK and Jose Charles Martin’s Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK), following tensions over the LJK’s inclusion in the alliance.Martin is the son of “lottery king” Santiago Martin.Puducherry pollsThe Election Commission has scheduled polling for all 30 seats in Puducherry in a single phase on April 9, with counting of votes set for May 4.Preparations for the polls are underway, with the Commission completing the first randomisation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs). It said detailed records will be shared with candidates after the final list of contestants is ready to ensure transparency in the process.Puducherry has around 9.44 lakh eligible voters, including about 4.43 lakh male voters, 5 lakh female voters and 139 third-gender electors. The electorate also includes 23,033 first-time voters aged between 18 and 19, over 6,000 voters aged 85 and above, and 12,204 persons with disabilities.Voting will be held across 1,099 polling stations, including 610 in urban areas and 489 in rural regions, with an average of 859 voters per booth.With candidates being announced and logistics in place, the focus is now on the upcoming contest as parties prepare for polling next month.
