Puducherry | Brisk polling was witnessed in Puducherry on Thursday with 72.4 per cent of the electorate casting their votes till 3 pm, according to Election Commission.

As the NDA is fighting to retain power, the opposition Congress-led bloc is pushing to wrest power from the AINRC-led front in the union territory, centering its campaign on local autonomy and administrative friction.

From the moment voting began at 7 am, there was a steady rise in voter turnout in Puducherry and its enclaves of Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam. There are 9.5 lakh voters spread over 30 constituencies in the four regions.

AINRC chief and Chief Minister N Rangaswamy, Home Minister A Namassivayam and Congress leader V Narayanasamy were among the early voters.