Puducherry: The AINRC-led NDA looked all set to capture power in Puducherry by winning 13 assembly seats and leading in two when the results for 22 out of the total 30 segments were declared on Sunday.
The Congress-led front emerged victorious in five constituencies and the independents in four as the counting for votes polled in the April 6 elections, was still underway.
According to the Election Commission, the AINRC secured 10, BJP three, DMK three, Congress two and the independents four.
AINRC Chief and former Chief Minister N Rangasamy triumphed in Thattanchavady constituency and wrested the seat from DMK.
Rangasamy aspired for annexing two segments- Thattanchavady and Yanam- in the April 6 polls.
However, his move to get elected from Yanam seemed to be a far cry to him as the Independent candidate Gollapalli Srinivas Ashok backed by the Congress turned out to be a formidable rival.
The Thattanchavady segment in Puducherry brought Rangasamy cheers as he annexed the seat with a margin of 5,456 votes over his immediate CPI rival K Sethu alias Sethu Selvam.
A Namassivayam of BJP emerged victorious from Mannadipet constituency after defeating his DMK rival A Krishnan.
Namassivayam, who shifted his allegiance to the saffron party in January this year after quitting the Congress, contested the April 6 poll from Mannadipet seat as BJP nominee.
The former minister polled 14,939 votes while his rival secured 12,189 votes.
A green horn in poll battle, U Lakshmikandhan of AINRC wrested the Embalam (reserved) segment from Congress by defeating its candidate and former Welfare Minister M Kandasamy.
Chief Electoral Officer Shurbir Singh told PTI that the BJP nominee A John Kumar was declared elected from Kamaraj Nagar.
Kumar defeated his immediate Congress rival and former Industries Minister M O H F Shah Jahan.
John Kumar was elected from Kamaraj Nagar in the by election held in November 2019 on Congress ticket.
He has now retained the segment but on different party ticket.
Kumar joined BJP in February after quitting Congress and contested the April 6 poll locking horns with former Industries Minister.
M Vaithianathan of Congress defeated BJP's V Saminathan, who is president of Puducherry unit of the party, by a margin of 5,652 votes in the Lawspet constituency.
Saminathan was one of the nominated legislators in the outgoing Assembly.
Vaithianathan quit the AINRC a few months ago and joined the Congress.
Sixteen seats are required for a simple majority in the 30-member assembly.
