Puducherry Lok Sabha Elections 2019: Phase 2 Voting Underway for Puducherry Parliamentary Constituency

Voting for the second phase of 2019 Lok Sabha Elections is underway on April 18. Puducherry, Union Territory (UT), has a sole representation in the Lok Sabha, and voting in the constituency is taking place in a single phase today. Puducherry Governor Kiran Bedi and Chief Minister V Narayanasamy cast their votes. Till 11 am, 25.09 percent was recorded in the constituency. The polling is simultaneously taking place in 95 other constituencies spread across 12 states. Voting in Puducherry began at 7 am. R Radhakrishnan of All India NR Congress (AINRC) is the incumbent MP of Puducherry. Puducherry Lok Sabha Constituency: Candidates, Current MP, Polling Date And Election Results 2019.

In 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, AINRC’s Radhakrishnan defeated Indian National Congress’ (INC) V Narayansamy by a margin of over 60,000 votes. His victory meant that it was for the first time that a member of a regional party in the UT had won a Lok Sabha seat. Puducherry Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Dates: Constituency-Wise Complete Schedule Of Voting And Results For General Elections.

The constituency of Puducherry has been a stronghold of the Congress party over the years. From the first elections that took place in 1967, INC has managed to win 9 times out of 13 elections that have taken place in its history, as of 2014.

In 2019 General Elections, it is a 3-way battle in the Puducherry Lok Sabha constituency. The key candidates in the fray are V Vaithiligam of Congress, K Narayanasamy of AINRC, and MAS Subramaniam of Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) – a political outfit floated by actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan.

The Election Commission of India (ECI), while announcing the schedule of Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on March 10, said that the voting will see the usage of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in all polling stations. The voters will can also check their votes through the assistance of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT).

Along with the electorate in Puducherry, the populace in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Manipur, Karnataka, Tripura, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu will also be exercising their right to vote today.

Last month, the EC announced that the voting in General Elections 2019 will take place in 7-phases, starting April 11. The second phase of voting was scheduled to happen on April 18, i.e. today. The last phase of voting will take place on May 19, after which the results will be declared on May 23. Stay tuned to LatestLY for all the latest updates on 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2019 07:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).