{"id":113957,"date":"2026-04-09T09:26:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T03:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/?p=113957"},"modified":"2026-04-09T09:26:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T03:56:52","slug":"peaceful-polling-begins-in-puducherry-as-voters-elect-new-assembly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/?p=113957","title":{"rendered":"Peaceful Polling Begins in Puducherry as Voters Elect New Assembly"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Puducherry, April 2026:<\/strong> Polling began smoothly across the Union Territory of Puducherry on Thursday, with voters steadily turning up at booths to elect representatives to the 30-member Legislative Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Election officials reported a calm and orderly start to the voting process, with no major disruptions in the early hours. Polling commenced at 7 a.m. across 1,099 polling stations and will continue until 6 p.m., with authorities expressing confidence that the process will remain peaceful and well-managed throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The election holds considerable significance as Puducherry is currently governed by a coalition led by N. Rangasamy of the All India N.R. Congress, supported by the Bharatiya Janata Party. A keen contest is expected, with multiple political parties competing to gain control of the Assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chief Electoral Officer P. Jawahar stated that comprehensive arrangements had been put in place to ensure free and fair polling. A total of 4,836 polling personnel have been deployed across the Union Territory, supported by 2,791 police personnel and 30 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to maintain law and order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Security has been significantly tightened, especially in sensitive areas. Authorities have identified 209 polling stations as vulnerable and five as critical. These locations are under strict surveillance, with micro-observers and CAPF personnel closely monitoring proceedings to prevent any irregularities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special emphasis has also been placed on voter convenience and inclusivity. Around 2,000 student volunteers have been stationed at polling booths to assist elderly voters and persons with disabilities, ensuring that all sections of society can participate in the democratic process without difficulty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the lead-up to polling, enforcement teams maintained strict vigilance under the Model Code of Conduct. Authorities seized suspected inducements worth approximately Rs 8.4 crore during the campaign period. This included gold and other precious metals valued at Rs 6.7 crore, cash amounting to Rs 77 lakh, and liquor worth Rs 68 lakh, highlighting the scale of monitoring efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even after the conclusion of campaigning on Tuesday evening, surveillance operations continued to ensure compliance with election guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Officials expressed optimism about voter participation, noting that Puducherry recorded a turnout of over 82 per cent in the 2021 Assembly elections. With steady early turnout and strong public engagement, authorities expect this year\u2019s polling to match or even surpass previous levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As voting progresses, the peaceful conduct of the election reflects robust administrative preparation and the electorate\u2019s commitment to democratic participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Team Maverick <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Puducherry, April 2026: Polling began smoothly across the Union Territory of Puducherry on Thursday, with voters steadily turning up at booths to elect representatives to the 30-member Legislative Assembly. Election officials reported a calm and orderly start to the voting process, with no major disruptions in the early hours. Polling commenced at 7 a.m. across …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":113958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142],"tags":[143],"post_format":[],"flags":[],"class_list":["post-113957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-state","tag-state"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=113957"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113959,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113957\/revisions\/113959"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/113958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=113957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=113957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=113957"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fpost_format&post=113957"},{"taxonomy":"flags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mavericknews30.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fflags&post=113957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}