Raj Bhavan election results 2026: DMK’s Vignesh Kannan defeats BJP’s V P Ramalingame by 287 votes

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s Vignesh Kannan won from Raj Bhavan constituency in Puducherry, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party’s V P Ramalingame by a margin of 287 votes.This election signalled a total reset for Raj Bhavan following the exit of veteran leader K Lakshminarayanan. The BJP (NDA) took the reins by fielding its Puducherry unit president VP Ramalingam to cement its influence. He faced a sharp challenge from the DMK (SPA) candidate Vignesh Kannan, while the TVK introduced a wildcard in VJ Chandran, a former Inspector General of Police. This shift from career politicians to a high-ranking former official and a new party head redefined the race, turning the administrative heart of the city into a battleground for a fresh governance model. Raj Bhavan, a prestigious urban constituency in the heart of Puducherry, has historically served as a stronghold for seasoned leadership, encompassing the territory's key administrative zones and heritage residential localities. For over a decade, the seat was synonymous with K Lakshminarayanan, who consecutively won terms in 2011, 2016, and 2021. In the previous poll, Lakshminarayanan, who was contesting under the AINRC banner after a high-profile exit from the Congress, secured victory by a margin of 6,364 votes against DMK’s SP Sivakumar. His absence from the 2026 ballot marked a major shift in the city's political landscape. This change came as the constituency was transferred from the AINRC to the BJP under a new NDA seat-sharing agreement. While the constituency was often characterised by moderate participation, recording a turnout of 72.5% (19,163 out of 26,422 electors) in 2021, this year’s political rumble reflected as voters surged to the polling booths, recording approximately 87.89% voter engagement.The 2026 Puducherry assembly elections took place on April 9, recording a historic voter turnout of 91.23%, with results declared on May 4. The contest shifted from a traditional two-way battle into a high-stakes three-way struggle between the ruling NDA (led by the AINRC and BJP), the SPA (anchored by the Congress and DMK), and the newly formed TVK–NMK alliance headed by actor-politician Vijay.