Political parties on the last leg of campaigning for Thattanchavady bypoll in Puducherry

Campaigning for the October 6 bypoll in Thattanchavady constituency has entered the last leg with all the four major contestants intensifying their door-to-door voter outreach braving the scorching sun in Puducherry. 

With open campaigning coming to an end on Sunday (October 4), the main contenders AINRC, Congress, DMK and CPI have pulled out all their resources to personally reach out to the electors in the remaining four days permitted by the Election Commission of India for active electioneering for the by-election to the lone seat in the Union Territory.

The bypoll was necessitated following the decision of Chief Minister and All India N R Congress founder N. Rangasamy to resign from Thattanchavady after retaining the second constituency of Mangalam that he won in the April 2026 Assembly polls. 

Mr. Rangasamy had won the seat by securing 10,024 votes of the total valid votes of 23,382 polled in the constituency during the Assembly elections. E.Vinayagam, who is fielded by the Congress party in bypoll, had come second in the Assembly elections by securing 5,583 votes as a candidate of the regional outfit, Neyam Makkal Kazhagam.

In the Assembly polls, the third position was held by K.Sethu Selvam, presently the DMK candidate, who then contested as an Independent and secured 3,984 votes. The Congress candidate for the Assembly elections was Member of Parliament and chief of Puducherry Pradesh Congress Committee V. Vaithilingam, who lost his deposit as he could garner only 2,990 votes.

Campaigning for the bypoll had started silently in the constituency immediately following the resignation of Mr. Rangasamy from the seat after the National Democratic Alliance, in which AINRC was the lead player, returned to power. After fielding former party legislator Ashok Anand from the constituency, the Chief Minister had put his weight behind the candidate as the seat was considered prestigious for the AINRC because of its long association with Mr. Rangasamy.

The Chief Minister had won the seat in 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006. After the delimitation exercise in 2011, Mr. Rangasamy shifted to Indira Nagar but returned to his bastion in 2021. Knowing the importance of retaining his stronghold, the Chief Minister had been on the campaign trail for more than three weeks now. The party has deployed its Ministers, legislators and former legislators ward-wise for the campaign.

For the Congress, the bypoll has become a prestige of sort after its dismal performance in the Assembly polls. The party, besides roping in the runner up of the last polls, was making all efforts to reap the benefit of its alliance with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam in the bypoll.

The Congress workers had been visiting the constituency with placards projecting Mr. Vijay’s face prominently while putting the tall leaders of the grand old party on the sidelines. Mr. Vaithilingam, former Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy and other senior leaders have been campaigning by foot with the expectation of giving a jolt to the ruling alliance.

Like the Congress, the Principal Opposition in the Assembly, the DMK too had sourced the candidate with the hope of improving its tally from the present five seats in the 30-member Legislative Assembly. Besides its local leaders, a team from Tamil Nadu led by MP S. Jagathrakshakan and former Minister K. Ponmudy are spearheading the campaign for the by-election here.

The CPI, which has fielded its party secretary A. M. Saleem, was fighting in the seat as the party has a committed cadre strength because of the long association the constituency had with Communist parties. The Left party leaders and volunteers have been making house visits seeking votes for the CPI candidate. Apart from the four, the Naam Tamilar Katchi has fielded S. Karthi Kumari and there are several Independents in the fray. 

Though the outcome may not have any bearing on the stability of the NDA government, all political parties are putting up a fierce fight with each having their own agenda to fulfill.