PUDUCHERRY: Puducherry registered 17.41 per cent voter turnout by 9 am on Thursday as polling commenced in all 30 assembly constituencies.
Voting began at 7 am in Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions with as many as 9.50 lakh voters deciding the fate of 294 contestants.
As the NDA is fighting to retain power, the opposition bloc is pushing to wrest power from the AINRC-led front in the union territory, centering its campaign on local autonomy and administrative friction.
Key figures, including Lt Governor Kailashnathan, Chief Minister N Rangasamy, Home Minister A Namassivayam and Congress leader V Narayanasamy were among the early voters to exercise their franchise.