The electors in the Puducherry Lok Sabha Constituency will cast their votes on April 18 in the second phase of 2019 Lok Sabha election. There are 18 contestants for the Lok Sabha poll and eight candidates for the Thattanchavady by-election.


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The polling at Puducherry started at 7:00 am and will end at 6:00 pm. 


The main battle would be between the ruling Congress, which has put up former Speaker V Vaithilingam and the opposition AINRC's K Narayanasamy. R Radhakrishnan of AINRC had won the seat in 2014, defeating Congress nominee V Narayanasamy, who is the chief minister now.


Eighteen candidates are contesting the lone seat in Parliament, including senior Congress leader Vaithilingam, doctor-turned-politician K Narayanasamy (AINRC), former AIADMK MLA M A S Subramanian (Makkal Needhi Maiam), among others. There are also two women contestants in the fray.


All 18 candidates contesting the poll are fresh faces in a parliamentary election through the Congress candidate is a former Chief Minister and former Speaker.


Full list of candidates going to polls in Puducherry in the second phase of Lok Sabha election 2019:


PUDUCHERRY


SL. NO. Candidate Name Party Name
1 Dr. NARAYANASAMY KESAVAN All India N.R. Congress
2 A.G.PATHIMARAJ Bahujan Samaj Party
3 Ve. VAITHILINGAM Indian National Congress
4 K.ARUNACHALAM Agila India Makkal Kazhagam
5 Dr.M.A.S. SUBRAMANIAN Makkal Needhi Maiam
6 S. THIRUGNANAM Anti Corruption Dynamic Party
7 BASKARAN.S Puducherry Development Party
8 MUTHU.U SOCIALIST UNITY CENTRE OF INDIA (COMMUNIST)
9 S.MOTHILAL Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation)
10 N.SHARMILA BEGUM Naam Tamilar Katchi
11 K. RAMADOSS Independent
12 KRISHNAMURTHY.M Independent
13 THANGAVELU.S Independent
14 N. TAMIZH MARANE Independent
15 TIRAVITAMANKAI@LOURDHUMARY Independent
16 IMS. BALAJI Independent
17 RAMESH.D Independent
18 V. RAMAMURTHI Independent

At least 10 companies of Central Armed Police force personnel have been deployed in Union Territory to supplement the police personnel already present. 1,850 police personnel have also been deployed and supplement the local police and to strengthen law and order machinery.


At least 222 of the total 970 polling booths have been identified as vulnerable booths. 


The Lok Sabha polls are being held in seven-phases for 543 seats on April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19, and counting will be on May 23.