The Puducherry Assembly elections are underway, with approximately 9.50 lakh voters deciding the fate of 294 candidates across 30 Assembly seats. Polling commenced at 7 a.m. in Puducherry and its enclaves—Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam. The Chief Electoral Officer, P. Jawahar, confirmed that all arrangements are in place for a smooth polling process, with 1,099 polling stations, including 209 vulnerable and five critical stations, under security watch. A total of 2,791 policemen and personnel from 30 companies of Central Armed Police Forces are deployed to ensure safety. The ruling NDA coalition, which includes the AINRC, BJP, AIADMK, and LJK, aims to maintain its governance, while the opposition INDIA bloc, consisting of Congress, DMK, and VCK, seeks to regain power by addressing local autonomy and administrative concerns. Additionally, actor-turned-politician Vijay's new party, TVK, is emerging as a significant third force in the elections, fielding candidates throughout the Union Territory. Chief Minister N. Rangasamy of AINRC is contesting from the Thattanchavady and Mangalam segments.