Puducherry [India], April 9 : Congress State President and Thattanchavady Assembly candidate V. Vaithilingam on Thursday cast his vote in the ongoing Puducherry elections and expressed confidence in his party's prospects.
Speaking to ANI, Vaithilingam said, "Today's polling has been favourable, particularly for Congress. The DMK alliance is also performing well. We are confident that we will form the government on 4 May."
He added that the polling process has been smooth and voters have exercised their democratic right responsibly. Vaithilingam's statement comes amid keenly contested elections in the Union Territory, where both Congress and its allies are aiming to secure a clear mandate.
Earlier today, Puducherry Lieutenant Governor K Kailashnathan also cast his vote at the DMS office during the ongoing Assembly elections, urging other citizens to fulfil their "primary duty".
Speaking after casting his vote, Lt Governor Kailashnathan emphasised the importance of citizen participation in the voting process and appealed to all voters to come forward and exercise their right.
"It is the primary duty of every citizen to cast a vote in elections. I request all the citizens to cast their vote," he told ANI.
Puducherry Chief Minister and All India NR Congress (AINRC) founder, N Rangaswamy, too cast his vote, maintaining his long-standing tradition of riding his motorcycle to the polling booth. The CM is contesting from the Thattanchavady and Mangalam Assembly constituencies.
Speaking to the media after casting a vote, he said, "In both constituencies, I will win. More than numbers, forming the government is important to me."Rangaswamy offered prayers at the Sri Sarguru Appa Paithiyam Swamigal Thirukovil Temple in Thattanchavady before heading to vote.
Puducherry CM has been associated with motorcycles since 1991, the year he first won from Thattanchavady after an unsuccessful attempt in 1990. He arrived for voting in his trademark bike, which he has cherished for decades. Even in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he rode a bike to the polling station in Delarshpet (Thilaspet) to cast his vote.
The CM's habit of riding his bike to the polling booth has earned him nicknames such as "Junior Kamaraj" and "Makkal Mudhalvar" (People's CM).
Meanwhile, voter turnout at 9 am on Thursday in the Union Territory of Puducherry showed a voter turnout of 17.41 per cent. Polling for high-stakes electoral battles in two States and a Union Territory began on Thursday at 7 am.
In Puducherry, 10,14,070 electors are eligible to cast their votes for 30 seats in the Legislative Assembly. The electorate includes 5,39,125 female voters, 4,74,788 male voters, and 157 voters belonging to the third gender category. A total of 24,156 voters fall in the age group of 18-19 years, while 6,034 voters belong to the senior citizen category, aged 85 and above.
In Puducherry, the contest involves the ruling NDA, which includes the All India NR Congress, the BJP and the Congress-DMK alliance. Actor Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is seeking to make it triangular.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) includes the All India NR Congress (AINRC) led by Chief Minister N Rangasamy, which is contesting 16 assembly constituencies, the BJP contesting 10 seats, and both the AIADMK and LJK, each contesting two seats.
The INDIA bloc includes Congress, which is contesting 16 assembly constituencies, and the DMK, contesting 14 seats. VCK, which is part of the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) in Tamil Nadu, has decided to contest on three assembly seats in Puducherry independently after being offered only one.
The current term of the 30-member Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory is set to expire on June 15. The counting of votes will be held on May 4.
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