The 1996 Indian general election was held in Pondicherry on to elect 1 member of the 11th Lok Sabha.[1]
The contest was primarily between two alliances. The INC–AIADMK alliance fielded a joint candidate from the INC, the incumbent MP M. O. H. Farook.
The DMK–TMC(M) alliance fielded a joint candidate from the DMK.
Other parties that fielded candidates included PMK, BJP, MDMK, along with several other parties and independent candidates.
Election schedule
| Poll event | Phase |
|---|---|
| I | |
| Date of poll | 27 April 1996 |
| Date of counting of votes | 8 May 1996 |
| Declaration of result | 11 May 1996 |
Voter Turnout
In the 1996 Pondicherry Lok Sabha election, the total number of electors was 6,33,635. Out of these, 4,77,437 voters cast their votes, resulting in a poll percentage of 75.35%. The number of valid votes recorded was 4,60,322.
Constituency Data - Summary
| Category | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominated | 28 | 1 | 29 |
| Rejected | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Withdrawn | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Contested | 20 | 1 | 21 |
| Forfeited Deposit | 18 | 1 | 19 |
Parties and alliances
Indian National Congress
| Party | Flag | Symbol | Leader | Seats contested | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indian National Congress | 
|
|
M. O. H. Farook | 1 | |
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
| Party | Symbol | Leader | Seats contested | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | S. Arumugham | 1 | ||
Others
| Party | Flag | Symbol | Leader | Seats contested | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bharatiya Janata Party | 
|
|
S. Thiyagarajan | 1 | |
| Pattali Makkal Katchi | 
|
|
Bavany Madura Cavy | 1 | |
| Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
|
R. Balasubramani | 1 | ||
Results by Party
Source:[2]
| Party Name | Popular vote | Seats | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Contested | Won | +/− | ||||
| INC | 1,83,986 | 39.97 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| DMK | 1,83,702 | 39.91 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| BJP | 20,351 | 4.42 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| PMK | 19,792 | 4.30 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| MDMK | 13,397 | 2.91 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| BSP | 4,005 | 0.87 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| IC(S) | 3,819 | 0.83 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| JP | 1,823 | 0.40 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| IND | 29,447 | 6.40 | 13 | 0 | 
| ||||
| Total | 4,60,322 | 100% | - | 21 | 1 | - | |||
Detailed Result
In the Pondicherry Lok Sabha constituency, M. O. H. Farook of the Indian National Congress (INC) won the election by a narrow margin, securing 1,83,986 votes (39.97%). He defeated S. Arumugham of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), who polled 1,83,702 votes (39.91%).[3]
| Constituency | Winner | Runner-up | Margin | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Votes | % | ||||
| 1 | Pondicherry | M. O. H. Farook | INC | 183,986 | 39.97 | S. Arumugham | DMK | 183,702 | 39.91 | 284 | 0.06 | ||
References
- ↑ "General Election 1996, Vol I & II". Election Commission of India (Archived). Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ "Pondicherry Lok Sabha Election 1996 Results". LatestLY. Retrieved 2026-01-29.
- ↑ "1996 Lok Sabha election results for Pondicherry". IndiaVotes.com. Retrieved 2026-01-29.