Congress holds the middle ground
What happened
Congress remained Puducherry's largest single party, holding on for another term in a crowded field.
The Indian National Congress won 11 of the 30 seats, a modest gain from the previous election.
No party came within reach of a majority on its own, so it governed instead with the support of allied parties.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam finished second, with 7 seats.
What changed
Congress held its position at the top of Puducherry's politics for another term, extending a run that stretched back years.
The INC grew from 9 seats at the previous election to 11 at this one.
This was its 5th straight win in the union territory.
PMC also won its first seats in the state.
Notable numbers
A few numbers from that election stand out.
The closest fight was in Ossudu, Puducherry, decided by just 164 votes — the smallest margin, how far ahead the winner finished, in votes, over whoever came second, of any seat that year.
The same seat also drew the most candidates of the election, 12 names on the ballot.
Bussy, Puducherry had the widest margin of the election, at 45.1% — and, in the same seat, the lowest turnout — the share of registered voters who actually cast a ballot — anywhere that year, 51.0%.
The backdrop
Puducherry's assembly rarely produces a single dominant party, and this election was no exception.
7 parties won at least one seat, including 2 that went to independents.