Puducherry has a parliamentary system as defined by its constitution, with power distributed between the union territory government and the districts.

The Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry is the ceremonial head of the union territory. However, it is the Chief Minister of Puducherry who is the leader of the party or political alliance having a majority in the union territory elections to the Puducherry Legislative Assembly. The chief minister is the leader of the executive branch of the government of Puducherry. The chief minister is the chief adviser to the lieutenant governor of Puducherry and the head of the union territory council of ministers.

Elections in Puducherry are conducted every five years to elect members to the Puducherry Legislative Assembly and members of parliament to the Lok Sabha. There are 30 assembly constituencies and 1 Lok Sabha constituency. The union territory has conducted 14 assembly elections and 14 Lok Sabha elections since independence.

Elections

The Puducherry Election Commission is the federal body of Puducherry that is enacted under the provisions of the Constitution and is responsible for monitoring and administering all the electoral processes in Puducherry. This body is responsible for ensuring elections are free and fair, without any bias.

Elections ensure the conduct of members pre-elections, during elections, and post-elections is as per statutory legislation.

All election-related disputes are handled by the Election Commission. The Madras High Court has held that where the enacted laws are silent or make insufficient provisions to deal with a given situation in the conduct of elections, the Election Commission has the residuary powers under the Constitution to act as appropriate.

Types of elections

Elections in Puducherry include elections for:

Rajya Sabha elections

Members of parliament in the Rajya Sabha (House of the State) from Puducherry are not directly elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of the union territory but by the members of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly. Candidates who win the Rajya Sabha elections are called "Members of Parliament" and hold their seats for six years. The house meets in the Rajya Sabha Chamber of the Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi on matters relating to the creation of new laws or removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of India. Elections take place to elect one member from Puducherry.[1]

Lok Sabha elections

Members of parliament in the Lok Sabha (House of the People) from Puducherry are directly elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of the union territory from a set of candidates who stand in their respective constituencies. Every adult citizen of Puducherry can vote only in their constituency. Candidates who win the Lok Sabha elections are called "Members of Parliament" and hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by the president of India on the advice of the council of ministers. The house meets in the Lok Sabha Chamber of the Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi on matters relating to the creation of new laws or removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of India. Elections take place once every five years to elect one member from Puducherry.[2]

History of Lok Sabha elections

Colour key for parties
LOK SABHA ELECTIONS
Election Lok Sabha Total Seat Political Party Percentage of Votes
1967 4th 1 Indian National Congress 39.83%
1971 5th 1 Indian National Congress 66.27%
1977 6th 1 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 53.32%
1980 7th 1 Indian National Congress (Indira) 66.45%
1984 8th 1 Indian National Congress 58.86%
1989 9th 1 Indian National Congress 50.47%
1991 10th 1 Indian National Congress 53.07%
1996 11th 1 Indian National Congress 39.97%
1998 12th 1 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 41.11%
1999 13th 1 Indian National Congress 37.17%
2004 14th 1 Pattali Makkal Katchi 49.95%
2009 15th 1 Indian National Congress 49.41%
2014 16th 1 All India N.R. Congress 35.64%
2019 17th 1 Indian National Congress 57.16%
2024 18th 1 TBA

Legislative Assembly elections

Members of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly are directly elected by being voted upon by all adult citizens of the state from a set of candidates who stand in their respective constituencies. Every adult citizen of Puducherry can vote only in their constituency. Candidates who win the legislative assembly elections are called "Members of the Legislative Assembly" and hold their seats for five years or until the body is dissolved by the lieutenant governor of Puducherry on the advice of the council of ministers. The house meets in the Assembly Chamber of the Chief Secretariat in Puducherry on matters relating to the creation of new laws or removing or improving the existing laws that affect all citizens of Tamil Nadu. Elections take place once every five years to elect 30 members to the legislative assembly. The leader of the majority party or alliance takes oath as chief minister of Puducherry.

History of Legislative Assembly elections

Colour key for parties
LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS
Assembly
(Election)
Total Seats First Second Third
Political party Seats Percentage of votes Political party Seats Percentage of votes Political party Seats Percentage of votes
2nd
(1964)
30 Indian National Congress 22 52.07% Independent 5 29.75% People's Front 4 18.19%
3rd
(1969)
30 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 15 33.70% Indian National Congress 10 42.62% Communist Party of India 3 12.62%
4th
(1974)
30 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 12 27.83% Indian National Congress 7 15.95% Indian National Congress (Organisation) 5 18.92%
5th
(1977)
30 All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 14 30.96% Janata Party 7 26.45% Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 3 13.49%
6th
(1980)
30 Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 14 27.73% Indian National Congress (Indira) 10 23.92% Janata Party 3 9.33%
7th
(1985)
30 Indian National Congress 15 32.68% All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 6 15.75% Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 5 29.08%
8th
(1990)
30 Indian National Congress 11 25.04% Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 9 24.07% Janata Dal 4 18.17%
9th
(1991)
30 Indian National Congress 15 30.00% All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 6 17.34% Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 4 24.71%
10th
(1996)
30 Indian National Congress 9 25.34% Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 7 22.90% Tamil Maanila Congress (Moopanar) 5 9.23%
11th
(2001)
30 Indian National Congress 11 22.78% Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 7 17.54% Puducherry Makkal Congress 4 10.24%
12th
(2006)
30 Indian National Congress 10 29.91% Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 7 12.59% All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 3 16.04%
13th
(2011)
30 All India N.R. Congress 15 31.75% Indian National Congress 7 26.53% All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 5 13.75%
14th
(2016)
30 Indian National Congress 15 30.60% All India N.R. Congress 8 28.12% All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 4 16.82%
15th
(2021)
30 All India N.R. Congress 10 25.85% Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 6 18.51% Bharatiya Janata Party 6 13.66%

By-election

When an elected candidate to either the Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha, or Puducherry Legislative Assembly leaves the office vacant before their term ends, a by-election is conducted to find a suitable replacement to fill the vacant position. It is often referred to as by-polls.

Common reasons for by-elections:

  • Resignation of the sitting M.P. or an M.L.A.
  • Death of the sitting M.P. or an M.L.A.

But other reasons occur when the incumbent is disqualified for being ineligible to continue in office (criminal conviction, failure to maintain a minimum level of attendance in the office due to election irregularities found later, or when a candidate wins more than one seat and has to vacate one).

See also

References

  1. "Rajya Sabha Election 2017: Here Is How Members Are Elected To Upper House". NDTV.com. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  2. "Terms of the Houses". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
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