Puducherry [India], April 9 (ANI): Jose Charles Martin, founder of Latchiya Jananayaga Katchi and candidate from the Kamaraj Nagar constituency, cast his vote along with his wife during the Puducherry Assembly Elections 2026 at a polling station in Reddiarpalayam.

Speaking after voting, Martin termed voting as both a duty and an honour. 'Casting our vote is both our duty and a matter of honour. I have fulfilled my duty and went to cast my vote along with my wife,' he said.

He noted a strong voter turnout, stating that people are coming out in large numbers, reflecting their support for their respective candidates. 'As Indians, we must showcase our unity and strength in this democracy,' he added.

Expressing confidence in the NDA's prospects, Martin said, 'The NDA will certainly come to power in Puducherry; we have set a target of 25 seats, and we are fully confident that we will achieve it.'

Meanwhile, voter turnout at 9 am on Thursday in the Union Territory of Puducherry showed a voter turnout of 17.41 per cent. Polling for high-stakes electoral battles in two States and a Union Territory began on Thursday at 7 am.

In Puducherry, 10,14,070 electors are eligible to cast their votes for 30 seats in the Legislative Assembly. The electorate includes 5,39,125 female voters, 4,74,788 male voters, and 157 voters belonging to the third gender category. A total of 24,156 voters fall in the age group of 18-19 years, while 6,034 voters belong to the senior citizen category, aged 85 and above.

In Puducherry, the contest involves the ruling NDA, which includes the All India NR Congress, the BJP, and the Congress-DMK alliance. Actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is seeking to make it triangular.

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) includes the All India NR Congress (AINRC) led by Chief Minister N Rangasamy, which is contesting 16 assembly constituencies; the BJP, contesting 10 seats; and both the AIADMK and LJK, each contesting two seats.

The INDIA bloc includes Congress, which is contesting 16 assembly constituencies, and the DMK, which is contesting 14 seats. VCK, which is part of the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in Tamil Nadu, has decided to contest three assembly seats in Puducherry independently after being offered only one.

The current term of the 30-member Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory is set to expire on June 15. The counting of votes will be held on May 4. (ANI)