The Union Territory of Pondicherry will return to the coalition era after agap of six years with the Congress led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA)winning 20 seats in the 30-member Assembly which went to polls on May 8.
The Congress, which contested 16 seats, failed to get a simple majority onits own as it won 10 seats while its allies DMK emerged victorious in seven, PMKtwo and the CPI one.
Chief Minister N Rangasamy won his Thattanchavadi seat with a lead of over28,000 votes.
The AIADMK won three seats and its partners PMC, formed by expelled Congressleader P Kannan, three and MDMK one.
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Independents -- Congress rebel A Elumalai (Oussudu), DMK rebel A Marmimuthu (Nedungadu)and J Narayanasamy (Villenour) -- bagged the remaining three seats.
The last coalition government in the Union Territory was headed by DMK withTMC and CPI as its partners from 1996 to March, 2000 when the TMC pulled downthe Janakiraman ministry.
PMC, which contested 10 seats, received a jolt when its founder Kannan washumbled by DMK's Dr M A S Subramanian in Modeliarpeth.
Other prominent Congress winners are former Chief Minister V Vaithilingam whoromped home from Nettapakkam for the sixth consecutive time and Health MinisterE Valsaraj, who won the Mahe seat for the fifth time in a row.
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Former chief minister R V Janakiraman of DMK was shocked by AIADMK's OmSakthi Sekar in Nellithope.
AIADMK's Pondicherry unit secretary A Anbalagan and former minister KLakshminarayanan of PMC were other prominent winners.
AIADMK's other partner DPI, which also contested two seats, drew a blank.
