With Puducherry set to go to the polls on April 9, the electoral spotlight is turning to key constituencies across the Union Territory. In our special series of constituency profiles, today, we focus on the politically significant Raj Bhavan Assembly Constituency. 

 

Situated at the political and administrative heart of Puducherry, the Raj Bhavan Assembly Constituency holds significant prominence in the Union Territory’s electoral landscape. The constituency is home to key institutions, including the Lt Governor’s official residence, the Legislative Assembly, and the iconic White Town area, widely recognised as the face of Puducherry’s tourism appeal. It also encompasses coastal localities such as Vaithikuppam, where a sizeable fishing community resides.

 

The constituency has a total electorate of 21,053 voters, comprising 9,616 male voters, 11,431 female voters, and 6 transgender voters. A total of 27 polling booths have been set up to facilitate voting in the constituency.

 

Being a largely urban constituency, key election issues here include urban infrastructure, tourism development, fisheries welfare, housing, and traffic congestion.

 

For the 2026 Assembly elections, the constituency is witnessing a multi-cornered contest. Key candidates include Bharatiya Janata Party State President V. P. Ramalingam, Vignesh Kannan of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, and R. Kumaran of the Indian National Congress. Former IPS Officer V. J. Chandran is contesting on behalf of Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam. Other candidates include S. Karpagavalli of Naam Tamilar Katchi and P. Kodeswaran of Tamilaga Makkal Thannurimai Katchi, along with an independent candidate.

 

In the 2021 Assembly elections, K. Lakshminarayanan of the All India N.R. Congress secured victory from here with a margin of 3,732 votes.  He polled 10,096 votes, accounting for a vote share of 51.86%, out of 19,466 valid votes cast. S. P. Sivakumar of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam finished second with 6,364 votes and a vote share of 32.69%.