With the nomination process underway for the upcoming Assembly elections, political activity has intensified across Puducherry even as key alliance negotiations remain unresolved.
The Election Commission has announced that polling in Puducherry will be held on 9 April 2026 as part of the first phase, along with Kerala and Assam. The filing of nominations began earlier this week and will continue until 3 PM on 23 March 2026. Candidates can submit their papers at 17 designated government offices across the Union Territory.
Despite the start of the nomination process, no candidate filed papers on the first day, with only a few individuals collecting application forms.
However, in a significant development on Wednesday, 18 March 2026, candidates from the DMK and Congress have begun filing nominations across all 30 constituencies in Puducherry, even though seat-sharing talks between the alliance partners are yet to be finalised, as reported in Daily Thanthi.
Sources indicated that the decision to file nominations today was influenced by Amavasya, which is considered an auspicious day. Both parties are understood to have adopted a tactical approach, whereby candidates will initially file nominations in all constituencies and later withdraw from seats once a final seat-sharing agreement is reached.
On 17 March 2026, DMK leader Jagathrakshakan said seat-sharing talks with Congress for the upcoming Assembly elections were progressing “smoothly,” dismissing reports that Congress sought 20 or 21 seats. He said both parties had only expressed expectations, with DMK maintaining its stance of contesting 30 seats. He added that talks would conclude in a day or two, and candidate nominations could be withdrawn later if needed. The final decision, he said, would be announced by the party leadership.
With only seven days remaining for nomination filing, of which two are government holidays, parties are left with a narrow window of five working days to complete both procedural and political formalities.
Meanwhile, seat-sharing discussions within the I.N.D.I. alliance in Puducherry remain inconclusive, with no clarity yet on the allocation of constituencies among partners. The delay has reportedly created uncertainty among prospective candidates, many of whom are awaiting confirmation of their constituencies before intensifying campaign efforts.
Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
