With Puducherry going to polls on April 9, political parties are clamouring with each other to promise statehood for the Union Territory (UT).
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) founder Joseph Vijay, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami, Puducherry Chief Minister and All India NR Congress (AINRC) founding president N Rangaswamy, among others have promised statehood, which is a long-pending demand of the UT.
Speaking to this website, former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy said that unanimous resolutions demanding statehood for Puducherry were passed 16 times in the State Assembly by various governments, including those led by the Congress.
Narayanasamy recalled that during the 2011 Assembly elections, the incumbent chief minister Rangaswamy, who floated AINRC at the time, promised statehood for Puducherry. Between 2011 and 2016, he was in power. He supported Narendra Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. But he couldn't fulfill his promise till now.
Narayanasamy said he was Chief Minister between 2016-21 and during that time he used to raise the statehood issue at every Chief Ministers' conference. The PM simply replied that he will consider, but nothing came of it.
Meanwhile, during his tenure Narayanasamy said he engaged the Madras School of Economics (MSE) to conduct a comprehensive study on the financial viability and necessity of granting statehood to Puducherry. The report was submitted to the Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The Centre, however, was not willing to grant statehood to Puducherry, he claimed.
Less than a month ago when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Puducherry for an event, Rangaswamy raised the issue but the Prime Minister didn't respond to the plea, Narayanasamy said.
"The Centre wants to be in direct control of Puducherry. That is their agenda," Narayanasamy, whose party has been in power for over six decades in Puducherry since 1963, said.
It is understood that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has long pointed to the unique geographical structure of Puducherry as a hurdle to granting it statehood. The Union Territory is not a single contiguous region but is made up of four separate enclaves—Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam—each located within different states: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh.
These regions were brought together under one administrative unit after merging with the Indian Union in 1954, following a referendum. Despite functioning as a Union Territory since then, the demand for statehood has persisted over the years.
Political parties that have assumed power in Puducherry have consistently argued that the limited powers of the elected government pose a significant challenge to governance. They highlight that even for introducing a Bill in the territorial Assembly, prior approval from the Centre is required, which they say restricts administrative autonomy and slows decision-making.
In an interview to a news agency in 2024, Narayanasamy said that statehood was 'absolutely' necessary for Puducherry and re-affirmed his party's support for the cause.
He said there was no room for any apprehension that the UT's financial position would be strained in the event of being granted statehood.
"The Centre's share for the budget of Puducherry and the State's contributions would be copiously available. There should be prudence in planning and spending of money," he said.
The State government should ensure firm realization of taxes by Departments of Electricity and Commercial Taxes. These two, besides the Registration Department, are the main sources of revenue for the government. The government should exercise utmost caution in realizing the dues from big power consumers and those paying commercial tax, he added.
The lack of statehood had been standing in the way of government not being able to implement its decisions, members belonging to both the ruling and opposition blocks point out more often than not.
According to a report, Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy on Thursday (February 12, 2026) used the floor of the Legislative Assembly, while presenting a Vote on Account of Rs 5,396 crore, to express his dismay "over the lack of power of the elected government" to administer the UT.
He went to the extent of concurring with the view of the principal Opposition party, DMK, that the Assembly polls should not be contested until Statehood was accorded to Puducherry.
Expert view
According to an expert, who spoke to this website on condition of anonymity, the discourse surrounding the elevation of Puducherry to a full-fledged state necessitates a nuanced evaluation of its unique geographical and administrative architecture.
Unlike contiguous states, Puducherry's non-contiguous stretches along both the eastern and western coasts of the peninsula present significant challenges for administrative integration.
The current framework as a federally administered Union Territory provides a cohesive umbrella; however, statehood could inadvertently trigger regional aspirations for merger with neighbouring states based on linguistic and cultural affinities—a clamour that has remained notably absent under the present central administration.
While the demand for statehood frequently appears in political rhetoric, the movement lacks a broad-based resonance across grassroots levels, civil society, and the general public.
"This suggests that the quest for a change in status may not currently be a primary driver of public sentiment or a felt necessity for the common citizenry," the expert said.
He also provided a compelling counter-narrative, arguing why granting full statehood can also be seen as both constitutionally sound and politically justified. He acknowledged, however, that the path to such a transition is fraught with legal, historical, and administrative complexities that require careful navigation rather than unilateral action.
A significant layer of this complexity stems from Puducherry's distinct history under French colonial rule. The treaties and agreements formalised between 1954 and 1956 serve as a bedrock for its unique status, guaranteeing specific administrative and legislative rights. These international and historical commitments ensure that the territory's character cannot be altered unilaterally by the Indian Parliament without respecting the spirit of its original de facto and de jure transfers.
Under the current Union Territory model, Puducherry operates with an elected legislature, yet its executive powers are markedly circumscribed compared to those of a state. The structural role of the Union-appointed Lieutenant Governor, particularly the exercise of veto powers over the elected government, is often viewed as a point of friction that tempers the territory's federal aspirations.
"This arrangement results in a governance model where the Centre retains significant oversight, occasionally at the expense of local democratic self-governance," the expert noted.
In contrast to the established balance of power in full states, the federal structure in Puducherry remains asymmetrical. The frequent overlap of authority between the elected representatives and the central appointee suggests that the current framework reflects more a supervised democracy than a robust federal unit.
Ultimately, the expert suggests that, to achieve a state of genuine federalism and meaningful self-determination, Puducherry must move toward a model where it enjoys powers equivalent to those of a state. This would involve calibrated reforms aimed at strengthening the authority of the Legislative Assembly and setting clear limits on the Union Government's powers to override, ensuring that the democratic will of the people is balanced against the territory's unique historical and geographical realities.
