Puducherry polls on April 9

Puducherry, Mar 16; Nomination filing for the 30-member Puducherry Legislative Assembly elections began today following the announcement of the poll schedule by the Election Commission of India. Polling in the Union Territory will be held on April 9, while counting of votes is scheduled for May 4.
The schedule was announced in New Delhi by Chief Election Commissioner C. Gyanesh Kumar, bringing the Model Code of Conduct into immediate effect.
In a relatively short election timeline, filing of nominations began just a day after the announcement. The last date for filing nominations is March 23, scrutiny will take place on March 24, and March 26 has been fixed as the last date for withdrawal.
The elections are expected to witness a multi-cornered contest. The ruling All India N.R. Congress (AINRC), led by Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, is likely to contest along with its NDA allies including the Bharatiya Janata Party and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
On the opposition side, the alliance led by the Indian National Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam is yet to finalise seat-sharing arrangements, with both parties reportedly seeking a larger share of constituencies.
Actor-politician Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam is also expected to make its electoral debut in Puducherry, while Seeman-led Naam Tamilar Katchi has decided to contest independently.