Puducherry elections: 23% of candidates face criminal cases, TVK leads with 10 names | India News
New Delhi: Of the 294 candidates contesting the upcoming Puducherry Assembly elections, 66 contestants (23%) have declared criminal cases, of which 38 (13%) face serious charges, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR).
Criminal facing criminal case in Puducherry
The analysis is based on the affidavits filed by the candidates Election Commission of India (ECI), a mandatory disclosure required to contest an election.In the 2021 Puducherry Assembly elections, 323 candidates contested, of whom 54 (17%) had declared criminal cases.
Party based break up Candidates with criminal cases
The newly formed Tamilga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), led by actor-politician Vijay, fielded 28 candidates, 10 of whom—the highest among political parties—face criminal charges. Of these, five have serious charges and five have other criminal cases against them.Among other major parties, 3 out of 21 Congress nominees, 4 out of 16 from the ruling All India NR Congress (AINRC), 6 out of 12 from DMK and 5 out of 10 from BJP declared criminal cases in their affidavits. Congress had initially announced all 30 candidates after failing to reach an agreement with its ally DMK. The two parties finalized the seat-sharing agreement on the last day of nomination filing, with the Congress contesting 16 seats and the DMK 14.Meanwhile, 117 individuals remain, of whom 19 have criminal cases, including 11 serious charges.The 294 candidates include 34 national parties, 63 state parties, 80 registered unrecognized parties and independent candidates.
‘Red Alert’ constituencies
According to the ADR report, Puducherry has 11 “red alert” assembly constituencies – where at least three candidates have faced criminal cases. Of these, eight are in Puducherry district and three in Karaikal district.
- Villianur: 5 candidates (AINRC, TVK, PMK, 2 Independents)
- Mudaliarpet: 5 (BJP, DMK, AJPK, 2 Independents)
- Karaikal South: 5 (BJP, DMK, DMMK, TVK, Independent)
- INPET: 4 (TVK, CPIM, 2 Independent)
- Manavelli: 4 (BJP, Congress, AJPK, Independent)
- Neravi-TR Pattinam: 3 (DMMK, TVK, Independent)
- Muthialpet: 3 (AINRC, PMK, Independent)
- Ozukarei: 3 (VK, 2 individual)
- Kalapet: 3 (BJP, Congress, DMK)
- Thirunallar: 3 (BJP, TVK, Independent)
- Ariyankuppam: 3 (AINRC, TVK, Independent)
Puducherry Assembly Election 2026
More than 9.4 lakh voters will decide the fate of the candidates when the polls are held on April 9. Counting of votes in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal as well as Union Territories will take place on May 4.
Puducherry Assembly Election 2026
How parties fared in Puducherry Assembly Elections 2021
There are 33 seats in the Puducherry Legislative Assembly, of which 30 are up for election. The remaining three members are nominated by the central government.
