AIADMK announces candidates for 2 seats in Puducherry Assembly polls 2026
Puducherry, March 22
Ahead of the Puducherry Assembly Election 2026, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam announced its two candidates for key constituencies on Sunday.
In an official statement, AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said that, as per the decision of the party's governing council, the candidates have been elected and nominated to contest the upcoming Assembly elections scheduled to be held on April 9.
The party has fielded A Anbazhagan, a former MLA, from Uppalainpet (15) constituency, while A Gandhi, a BSc graduate, will contest from Urulaiyanpet (16).
The announcement comes as political parties step up preparations for the Puducherry polls, with alliances and candidate lists being finalised.
Earlier on Saturday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released a list of nine candidates for the Puducherry Assembly elections. The party is contesting the polls in alliance with the All India NR Congress. The BJP's Central Election Committee met on March 18 to finalise candidates for poll-bound states.
According to the BJP list, A Namassivayam has been fielded from Mannadipet, while E Theeppainthan will contest from Oussoudu (SC). PML Kalyanasundaram has been nominated from Kalapet, VP Ramalingam from Raj Bhavan, and A Johnkumar from Mudaliarpet. Embalam R Selvam will contest from Manavely, GNS Rajasekaran from Thirunallar, and A Dineshan from Mahe.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India has completed the first phase of randomisation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trails (VVPATs) for the upcoming elections in Puducherry, Assam, and Kerala. Officials said that once the final list of candidates is ready, details of both the first and second randomisation will be shared with candidates to maintain transparency in the electoral process.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As a voter from Puducherry, I appreciate the transparency with EVM randomization details being shared. That's crucial for trust. Hoping all candidates focus on local issues like water supply and tourism development, not just national politics. 🤞
BJP's list is much longer, clearly they are the main challenger here with NR Congress. AIADMK seems to be a fringe player now in the union territory after the split in Tamil Nadu. Wonder if they'll join any alliance later?
Interesting to see a BSc graduate, A Gandhi, getting a ticket. We need more educated, young faces in politics. But the article doesn't mention their agenda or background. Wish political reporting went deeper than just names and constituencies.
The election season begins! 🗳️ Puducherry always has interesting coalition politics. With AIADMK weak, it might benefit the DMK-led front. Hope the EC ensures a completely fair process. The first phase of randomization is a good step.
Respectfully, I feel the media gives too much space to candidate lists and not enough to their actual work or promises. We, the public, need to know what Mr. Anbazhagan or Mr. Gandhi plan to do for Uppalainpet and Urulaiyanpet.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.