Puducherry news & politics
The latest news from Puducherry, where N. Rangasamy (AINRC) is Chief Minister. Most covered in the last 30 days: protest opposition, crime violence, rape sexual crime.
ECI directs Special Summary Revision of Photo Electoral Rolls for January 1, 2027 date
Chief Electoral Officer A.S.P.S Ravi Prakash announced that the Election Commission of India directed a Special Summary Revision of Photo Electoral Rolls with a January 1, 2027 qualifying date. Eligible citizens can submit Form 6 or Form 6A online via the Voter Service Portal or ECINET App. The integrated draft electoral roll will be published on November 13 for verification and objections.
French Ambassador Thierry Mathou inaugurates Lycée Francais International de Pondicherry bicentenary celebrations
Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India, inaugurated the bicentenary celebrations of Lycée Francais International de Pondicherry on Thursday at 12 Victor Simonel Street. Attended by K. Kailashnathan, A. Namassivayam, and Alexandre Morois, the event featured a Bharatanatyam performance and an address by Henri de Richemont. The ceremony hosted 400 former students and 1,000 guests before continuing until Saturday.
Union president Moorthy urges Puducherry to scrap QR-code waste monitoring over low wages
The Puducherry government is rolling out a QR-code monitoring system in Puducherry and Oulgaret municipalities to achieve 100% waste collection. Workers from Green Warrior will scan stickers on 89,596 houses in Puducherry and 1,08,799 in Oulgaret. However, the Puducherry State Sanitation Workers’ Union president, Moorthy, urged the government to abandon the move due to heavy workloads and wages under ₹10,000.
Ruling parties win all five by-election seats in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
On Friday, by-election results in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry showed ruling parties won all five seats. The BJP won Nandigram (76%) and Rejinagar (63%). In Puducherry, the All India N.R. Congress won Thattanchavady with 61%. In Tamil Nadu, TVK won Dharapuram (37%) and Madurantakam (40%) against the DMK. C. Joseph Vijay led a campaign for TVK, which now holds 109 of 234 seats.
Madras High Court modifies Kakka alias Karunas' death sentence to life imprisonment for murder
Justices Anita Sumanth and Sunder Mohan of the Madras High Court acquitted Kakka alias Karunas of aggravated sexual assault under the POCSO Act, 2012, but modified his death sentence to life imprisonment for murdering a nine-year-old girl. The court found no forensic evidence linking him to the assault, though it confirmed his guilt in murder based on circumstantial evidence and witness testimony.
TVK wins Madurantakam and Dharapuram as party strength rises to 108 seats
On October 9, 2026, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) won Madurantakam and Dharapuram (Reserved) constituencies. Nominees Maragatham Kumaravel and P. Sathyabama, former AIADMK members, won by 20,041 and 9,471 votes respectively. In Puducherry, All India N.R. Congress (AINRC)'s Ashok Anand won Thattanchavady against E. Vinayagam. The TVK strength rose to 108 seats.
BJP's Devashish Sharma leads in Nagaon as bypoll counting begins across four states
Counting began for bypolls in six seats across West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Assam. In Bengal, BJP candidates Hasirani Rath and Shankharavh Sarkar led in Nandigram and Rejinagar. TVK's Maragatham Kumaravel and P Sathyabama contested Tamil Nadu seats against AIADMK. In Puducherry, AINRC's Ashok Anand won Thattanchavady. In Assam, BJP's Devashish Sharma led in Nagaon over Badruddin Ajmal and Sibamoni Bora.
Humayun Kabir arrested after accusing police of acting for Suvendu Adhikari
Bye-elections for six seats in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Assam passed peacefully today. In Nandigram, turnout reached 79.39 per cent, while Rejinagar saw 78.42 per cent. Humayun Kabir was arrested after accusing police of acting for Suvendu Adhikari. Madurantakam and Dharapuram recorded 86.26 per cent and 80.30 per cent respectively. Thattanchavady reached 80.81 per cent. Nagaon saw 76 per cent turnout. Votes count on October 9.
Bypollections for six seats in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry
Bypollections for six seats in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Assam occur on October 6, 2026. Vacancies arose from resignations of Maragatham Kumaravel, P. Sathyabama, N. Rangasamy, Humayun Kabir, Suvendu Adhikari, and Pradyut Bordoloi. Candidates include K. Bhanumathi, S. Suganya, P. Lakshmanan, I. Paranthamen, Kanitha Sampath, P. Suganthi, Janakiraman, Ashok Anand, E. Vinayagam, K. Sethu Selvam, A.M. Saleem, Badruddin Ajmal, Sibamoni Bora, Devasish Sharma, Abdul Salam, Hasirani Rath, Milan Pradhan, Shanti Gopal Giri, Golam Nabi Azad, Rabiul Alam Chowdhury, Abdullahil Kafi, Safiuzzaman S.K., Saeed Asad Ali, and Sakharav Sarkar. Results are due October 9.
NHAI, Forest Department efforts provide Pichavaram another 25 h.a. of mangroves
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Forest Department planted over 75,000 saplings at a cost of ₹1.97 crore in Pichavaram to offset mangrove destruction during highway expansion near Marakkanam. The project reduced actual impact from 21.283 hectares to just 0.15 hectares and created employment for tribal communities through the planting effort, generating 18,135 man-days of work.
DMK Leader Named In 'Temple Land Scam' Case In Tiruchirappalli
Police in Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli booked M Ramkumar, a Srirangam-based DMK functionary, and five others on fraud charges for registering 7,515 square feet of Arulmigu Aranganatha Swamy Temple land using forged documents. Joint Commissioner Sivaramakumar filed the complaint. Minister S Ramesh alleged misuse of power by Ramkumar, who denies the claims, stating a case is pending in Madras High Court. FIR details transactions valued at Rs 2.9 crore involving Padma Rengarajan, Vijaya Krishnasamy, R Sowntharrajan, Vengatavaradhan, and the then Srirangapatanam sub-registrar.
PAC alarmed: ₹9,222 crore untransferred, misuse insults Parliament
On September 8, 2026, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) expressed concern over ₹9,222 crore in cess and levy collections not being transferred to four designated reserve funds as reported by the Comptroller and Auditor General’s Report No. 6 of 2026 for 2024-25. PAC chairperson K.C. Venugopal reiterated earlier recommendations that such funds be used solely for their intended purposes, arguing misuse constitutes an insult to Parliament. The Finance Ministry contested some audit findings but acknowledged the need to address shortfalls.
