Puducherry [India], May 4 (ANI): The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is set to retain power in the Union Territory of Puducherry. As counting continues this Monday, the alliance led by Chief Minister N Rangasamy has already surged past the majority threshold, currently leading in or having won 17 seats in the 30-member Assembly.

The All India NR Congress (AINRC) remains the powerhouse of the alliance, securing 11 seats (9 wins, 2 leads). With the halfway mark set at 16, the NDA's performance ensures a stable path to forming the next government before the current assembly term expires on June 15.

Following closely is Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), with two wins and three more seats in the lead, totalling five seats. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also made its presence felt, winning two seats and leading in two others, bringing its total to four.

Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), though not a major contender, has secured two wins, while Indian National Congress (INC) has claimed one seat. Other smaller parties, such as Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi (LJK) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), have each secured a single seat. Neyam Makkal Kazhagam (NYMK), while not securing any wins, remains in the contest with one seat leading.

Independent candidates have also managed to gain three seats, but do not have any leading seats. The halfway mark in this election is set at 16 seats.

The NDA alliance in Puducherry is led by the All India N.R. Congress (AINRC) and includes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), and Latchiya Jananayaka Katchi (LJK).

In the Thattanchavady constituency, Puducherry's Chief Minister N. Rangasamy from the AINRC emerged victorious, securing 10,024 votes, leading by 4,441 votes. E. Vinayagam from Neyam Makkal Kazhagam trailed with 5,583 votes, and Independent candidate K Sethu @ Sethuselvam secured 3,984 votes.

In Ariankuppam, C Aiyappan @ Mouttayappan of the AINRC claimed victory with 14,210 votes, leading by 603 votes. His closest rival, Vizayalakshmy Djeamourthy from INC, secured 13,607 votes, losing by a margin of 603 votes. Kumaravelu of TVK secured 5,424 votes, trailing behind by 8,786 votes.

R Senthil Kumar from DMK is currently leading in the Bahour constituency with 8,411 votes, ahead by 1,848 votes. N. Dhanavelou from TVK and T Thiagarajan of AINRC are trailing, with Dhanavelou behind by 1,848 votes and Thiagarajan by 1,911 votes.

In Embalam, E Mohandoss from AINRC has secured victory with 16,017 votes, leading by 4,061 votes. M. Candassamy from INC followed with 11,956 votes, losing by the same margin, while V. Tamilselvan of TVK trailed with 2,708 votes, a significant deficit of 13,309 votes.

In Kalapet, Senthil @ Ramesh from DMK is in the lead with 11,713 votes, maintaining a margin of 424 votes over PML Kalyanasundaram of BJP, who has 11,289 votes. D Sasikumar from TVK is trailing with 4,642 votes, behind by 7,071 votes.

Vaiyapuri Manikandan from AINRC won in Muthialpet with 8,382 votes, leading by 952 votes. Eeram G. Rajendran from INC and J Prakash Kumar from TVK lost, securing 7,430 votes and 3,611 votes, respectively, trailing by 952 and 4,771 votes.

In Raj Bhavan, Vignesh Kannan of DMK emerged victorious with 7,304 votes, leading by 287 votes. VP Ramalingame from BJP and V.J. Chandran from TVK trailed with 7,017 and 2,361 votes, respectively.

The electoral battle in Puducherry has seen the NDA, comprising AINRC, BJP, and AIADMK, pitted against the Congress-DMK alliance, with actor Vijay's TVK adding a triangular dynamic to the contest. The seat-sharing arrangements saw AINRC contesting 16 seats, BJP 10, and AIADMK and LJK sharing two seats each. On the other side, the Congress contested 16 seats, while DMK contested 14. TVK, though part of the SPA in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, opted to contest three seats independently after being offered only one seat.

The current term of the 30-member Puducherry Legislative Assembly is set to expire on June 15. As the counting of votes continues on May 4, the final results are expected to shape the future political landscape of the Union Territory. (ANI)