PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry will go to the polls for its 30 Assembly constituencies on April 9, as part of the first phase of polling in the country, along with Assam and Kerala.
Brefing reporters, Chief Electoral Officer P Jawahar said the notification will be issued on March 16, following which the filing of nominations will commence. The last date for filing nominations is March 23. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 24, while the last date for withdrawal of nominations is March 26. Counting of votes will be taken up on May 4 along with the rest of the country, and the entire election process will be completed by May 6.
The Model Code of Conduct is in effect from Monday and would remain in force till the completion of the election process. The tenure of the present Pondicherry Legislative Assembly is set to end on June 15, 2026.
For the first time in recent times, Puducherry and neighbouring Tamil Nadu will go to the polls on different dates, posing logistical challenges for the election machinery in the union territory, whose regions are geographically enclaved within Tamil Nadu.
Polling will be conducted at 1,099 polling stations, of which 610 are in urban areas and 489 in rural areas, with an average of 859 voters per polling station. The arrangements include 30 women-managed polling stations, three polling stations managed by PwD, five by youths and two unique polling stations — VO Chidambaram Pillai School and the Thanthai Periyar School in Karaikal.
About 321 vulnerable areas have been tentatively identified by police, said the CEO. The pockets will be constantly monitored. Sufficient strength of CAPF has been sought, with 10 companies deployed so far, and 45 companies are expected to reach Puducherry soon.
Police have been directed to execute 37 pending NBWs and impound the pending 30 arms, except those used for bank security. They have also been directed to invoke Section 126 & 129 of BNSS for binding down trouble mongers.
The CEO also launched the 'Meiporul 2.0' app with a video towards ensuring credible information and responsible digital engagement during the election period.