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{{Short description|Indian union territory election}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1980 Pondicherry Legislative Assembly election
| country = India
| type = legislative
| vote_type = Popular 
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1977 Pondicherry Legislative Assembly election
| previous_year = 1977
| election_date = 1 March 1980
| next_election = 1985 Pondicherry Legislative Assembly election
| next_year = 1985
| seats_for_election = 30 seats in the [[Puducherry Legislative Assembly]]
| majority_seats = 16
| registered = {{formatnum:319137}}
| turnout = 80.41%
| image_size = 100px

| party1 = Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image=Indian election symbol rising sun.svg|bSize=120|cWidth=100|cHeight=100|oLeft=10|oTop=0}}
| leader1 = [[M. D. R. Ramachandran]]
| leaders_seat1 =
| leader_since1 =
| seats1 = 14
| seats_before1 = 3
| popular_vote1 = 27.73%
| seat_change1 = {{increase}}11

| party2 = Indian National Congress (Indira)
| image2 = {{CSS image crop|Image=Hand_INC.svg|bSize=120|cWidth=80|cHeight=100|oLeft=17|oTop=03}}
| leader2 =
| leaders_seat2 =
| leader_since2 =
| seats2 = 10
| seats_before2 = 2
| popular_vote2 = 23.92%
| seat_change2 = {{increase}}8


| title = [[Chief Minister of Puducherry|CM]]
| before_election = [[President's rule]]
| after_party = Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
| after_election = [[M. D. R. Ramachandran]]
}}
Elections to the '''[[Puducherry Legislative Assembly]]''' were held in March 1980, to elect members of the 30 constituencies in [[Puducherry (union territory)|Puducherry]] (then known as Pondicherry), in India.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2021/03/26/explained-puducherry-the-territory-of-coalitions-and-presidents-rule.html |title=Explained: Puducherry, the territory of coalitions and President's Rule |magazine=[[The Week (Indian magazine)]] |date=26 March 2021 |quote=5th election: 1980 .. The DMK was the single-largest party ... The Congress won 10 seats ... (and) formed a coalition that continued in power for three years, with M.D.R. Ramachandran of DMK as chief minister. |access-date= 4 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://ceopuducherry.py.gov.in/PDF/Se1980.PDF |title=Union Territory of Pondicherry Assembly - General Elections - 1980 |access-date= 4 September 2022}}</ref> The [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] won the popular vote and the most seats, and [[M. D. R. Ramachandran]] was appointed as the [[Chief Minister of Puducherry]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2021/mar/28/big-troublein-little-puducherry-2282637.html |url-status=dead |access-date=12 September 2022 |title=Big trouble in little Puducherry |author=Debjani Dutta |date=28 March 2021 |newspaper=[[The New Indian Express]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328053011/https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2021/mar/28/big-troublein-little-puducherry-2282637.html |archive-date=28 March 2021 |quote=MDR Ramachandran govt of the DMK assumed charge on January 16, 1980, fell on June 24, 1983}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://legislativebodiesinindia.nic.in/STATISTICAL/pondicherry.HTML |title=Pondicherry Legislative Assembly |access-date=8 September 2022}}</ref>

==Background ==

After sweeping to power in [[Tamil Nadu]] in June 1977, [[M. G. Ramachandran]] led the [[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|AIADMK]] to victory in the [[1977 Pondicherry Legislative Assembly election|Puducherry Assembly election in October]], winning 14 seats , aided by the shared language and cultural ties between the two regions.

In 1978, Prime Minister [[Morarji Desai]] proposed merging smaller Union Territories with neighbouring states. Puducherry, a former French enclave, was considered for merger with Tamil Nadu (along with [[Karaikal]]), while [[Mahé, India|Mahe]] and [[Yanam]] were proposed to be merged with Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, respectively. However, provisions in the treaty with [[France]] required the preservation of Puducherry’s distinct identity and mandated prior consultation with the French government before any change in its status.<ref>{{cite news |date=5 January 2019 |title=Forty Years Ago: January 5, 1979|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/forty-years-ago-january-5-1979/ |access-date=5 January 2019 |work=Indian express|language=en-IN }}</ref>

MGR reportedly supported the proposal, describing it as a “bitter but helpful medicine,” triggering widespread opposition across the Union Territory. Despite being in power, local AIADMK leaders and cadres opposed the move. The AIADMK government was dismissed in November 1978, and anti-merger agitations in January 1979 turned violent. Following strong resistance from the opposition parties like DMK and Congress, the Centre abandoned the proposal. The controversy over a proposed merger, significantly dented AIADMK’s popularity, leading to its rout in the 1980 election, where it failed to win a single seat, paving the way for the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]] to form the government.

In the subsequent decades, political instability, defections, and dependence on the Centre, seen as contradictory to the Dravidian parties AIADMK and DMK advocacy of state autonomy, reportedly led them to view Puducherry as a political burden. Consequently, from the 1990s onward, their reduced focus enabled the [[Indian National Congress]] to re-emerge as a dominant force in the Union Territory.<ref>{{cite news |date=31 March 2021 |title=How Dravidian parties have lost their hold over Puducherry|url=https://thefederal.com/puducherry-elections-2021/puducherrys-unique-political-history-and-how-dravidian-parties-lost-their-hold-over-the-ut |work=The Federal|language=en-IN}}</ref>

==Results==
{{Election results
|image=[[File:India Pondicherry Legislative Assembly 1980.svg]]
|party1=[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]]|votes1=68030|seats1=14|sc1={{increase}}11
|party2=[[Indian National Congress (Indira)]]|votes2=58680|seats2=10|sc2={{increase}}8
|party4=[[Janata Party]]|votes4=22892|seats4=3|sc4={{decrease}}4
|party5=[[Communist Party of India (Marxist)]]|votes5=4944|seats5=1|sc5={{increase}}1
|party20=Others|votes20=64778|seats20=0|sc20=0
|party21=Independents|votes21=26001|seats21=2|sc21={{decrease}}1
|total_sc=0
|invalid=11278
|electorate=319137
|source=ECI<ref name=election1980>{{cite web |url=https://old.eci.gov.in/files/file/3428-puducherry-1980/ |title=Statistical Report on General Election, 1980 to the Legislative Assembly of Pondicherry |publisher=[[Election Commission of India]] |access-date=30 July 2022}}</ref>
}}

==Elected members==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Results by constituency |
* Winner, runner-up, voter turnout, and victory margin in every constituency
! colspan="2" |Assembly Constituency
!Turnout
! colspan="5" |Winner
! colspan="5" |Runner Up
! rowspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Margin
|-
! #k
! Names
!%
! Candidate
! colspan="2" | Party
! data-sort-type=number | Votes
!%
! Candidate
! colspan="2" | Party
! data-sort-type=number | Votes
!%
|-
| 1 || [[Muthialpet Assembly constituency|Muthialpet]] || 78.09% || G. Palani Raja || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 7,396 || 63.71% || A. V. Vaithilingam || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 3,456 || 29.77% || 3,940
|-
| 2 || [[Cassicade Assembly constituency|Cassicade]] || 72.91% || V. Kathirvelu || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (I)}} || 3,948 || 51.63% || Ansari P. Duraisamy || {{party name with color|Janata Party}} || 1,716 || 22.44% || 2,232
|-
| 3 || [[Raj Bhavan Assembly constituency|Raj Bhavan]] || 65.46% || L. Joseph Mariadass || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 1,880 || 45.92% || V. Subbiah || {{party name with color|Communist Party of India}} || 1,082 || 26.43% || 798
|-
| 4 || [[Bussy Assembly constituency|Bussy]] || 73.12% || C. M. Achraff || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (I)}} || 2,898 || 69.36% || R. P. Joseph || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 716 || 17.14% || 2,182
|-
| 5 || [[Oupalam Assembly constituency|Oupalam]] || 77.39% || Sitha Vedanayagam || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 5,419 || 70.06% || C. N. Parthasarathy || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 2,177 || 28.14% || 3,242
|-
| 6 || [[Orleampeth Assembly constituency|Orleampeth]] || 75.61% || Na. Manimaran Alias Na. Marimuthu || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 5,721 || 59.70% || P. K. Loganathan || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 2,820 || 29.43% || 2,901
|-
| 7 || [[Nellithope Assembly constituency|Nellithope]] || 77.64% || P. Ramalingam || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 4,019 || 53.80% || B. Manimaran || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 2,110 || 28.25% || 1,909
|-
| 8 || [[Mudaliarpet Assembly constituency|Mudaliarpet]] || 82.30% || V. Kothandaraman Sababathy || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (I)}} || 5,258 || 48.39% || M. Manjini || {{party name with color|Communist Party of India}} || 2,950 || 27.15% || 2,308
|-
| 9 || [[Ariankuppam Assembly constituency|Ariankuppam]] || 81.94% || [[P. Subbarayan]] || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 5,900 || 57.57% || M. Pandurangan || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 3,628 || 35.40% || 2,272
|-
| 10 || [[Embalam Assembly constituency|Embalam]] || 83.58% || G. Murugesan || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (I)}} || 5,033 || 68.30% || N. Ramajayam || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 1,773 || 24.06% || 3,260
|-
| 11 || [[Nettapakkam Assembly constituency|Nettapakkam]] || 89.86% || R. Subbaraya Gounder || {{party name with color|Janata Party}} || 4,201 || 49.89% || [[V. Vaithilingam]] || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (I)}} || 4,076 || 48.40% || 125
|-
| 12 || [[Kuruvinatham Assembly constituency|Kuruvinatham]] || 88.52% || M. A. Shanmugam || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 3,738 || 42.59% || K. R. Subramaniya Padayachi || {{party name with color|Janata Party}} || 2,725 || 31.05% || 1,013
|-
| 13 || [[Bahour Assembly constituency|Bahour]] || 84.08% || P. Uthiravelu || {{party name with color|Janata Party}} || 4,154 || 51.40% || A. Ramamurthy || {{party name with color|Communist Party of India}} || 2,562 || 31.70% || 1,592
|-
| 14 || [[Thirubuvanai Assembly constituency|Thirubuvanai]] || 79.81% || P. Cattavarayane || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (I)}} || 6,001 || 72.08% || D. Annamalai || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 2,269 || 27.26% || 3,732
|-
| 15 || [[Mannadipet Assembly constituency|Mannadipet]] || 89.22% || D. Ramachandran || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 5,598 || 61.09% || S. Manickavachakan || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 3,566 || 38.91% || 2,032
|-
| 16 || [[Ossudu Assembly constituency|Ossudu]] || 80.70% || P. Murthy || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 5,122 || 66.48% || K. Dhakshinamurthy || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 2,374 || 30.82% || 2,748
|-
| 17 || [[Villianur Assembly constituency|Villianur]] || 82.20% || M. Venugopal || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 3,810 || 44.23% || S. Sellappan Alias Meenakshisundaram || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 3,065 || 35.58% || 745
|-
| 18 || [[Ozhukarai Assembly constituency|Ozhukarai]] || 84.39% || G. Perumal Raja || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 5,493 || 65.98% || R. Somasimdara || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 2,685 || 32.25% || 2,808
|-
| 19 || [[Thattanchavady Assembly constituency|Thattanchavady]] || 78.86% || V. Pethaperumal || {{party name with color|Janata Party}} || 4,824 || 48.85% || N. Kandeban || {{party name with color|Communist Party of India}} || 2,554 || 25.86% || 2,270
|-
| 20 || [[Reddiarpalayam Assembly constituency|Reddiarpalayam]] || 76.53% || Renuka Appadurai || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (I)}} || 5,409 || 52.49% || N. Gurusamy || {{party name with color|Communist Party of India}} || 2,516 || 24.42% || 2,893
|-
| 21 || [[Lawspet Assembly constituency|Lawspet]] || 82.88% || [[M. O. H. Farook]] || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (I)}} || 8,980 || 78.68% || G. Gopalakrishnan || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 2,126 || 18.63% || 6,854
|-
| 22 || [[Cotchery Assembly constituency|Cotchery]] || 84.62% || G. Panjavarnam || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 4,133 || 49.93% || T. Subbaiya || {{party name with color|Independent politician}} || 2,504 || 30.25% || 1,629
|-
| 23 || [[Karaikal North Assembly constituency|Karaikal North]] || 68.80% || V. M. Salih Maricar || {{party name with color|Independent politician}} || 4,778 || 55.25% || M. Jembulingam || {{party name with color|Janata Party}} || 2,194 || 25.37% || 2,584
|-
| 24 || [[Karaikal South Assembly constituency|Karaikal South]] || 78.17% || S. Savarirajan || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (I)}} || 4,867 || 64.40% || [[S. Ramassamy]] || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 2,218 || 29.35% || 2,649
|-
| 25 || [[Neravy T R Pattinam Assembly constituency|Neravy T R Pattinam]] || 83.00% || [[V. M. C. Sivakumar]] || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 5,315 || 57.35% || V. M. C. Varada Pillai || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 3,953 || 42.65% || 1,362
|-
| 26 || [[Thirunallar Assembly constituency|Thirunallar]] || 84.00% || N. V. Ramalingam || {{party name with color|Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 3,573 || 44.44% || A. Soundararengam || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 3,400 || 42.29% || 173
|-
| 27 || [[Nedungadu Assembly constituency|Nedungadu]] || 83.45% || M. Chandirakasu || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (I)}} || 4,981 || 65.23% || P. Natesan || {{party name with color|All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam}} || 1,751 || 22.93% || 3,230
|-
| 28 || [[Mahe Assembly constituency|Mahe]] || 77.20% || K. V. Raghavan || {{party name with color|Communist Party of India (Marxist)}} || 2,638 || 48.17% || C. V. Sulaiman Hajee || {{party name with color|Independent politician}} || 2,174 || 39.70% || 464
|-
| 29 || [[Palloor Assembly constituency|Palloor]] || 80.07% || N. K. Sachindranath || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (I)}} || 2,567 || 45.89% || A. V. Sreedharan || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (U)}} || 2,467 || 44.10% || 100
|-
| 30 || [[Yanam Assembly constituency|Yanam]] || 87.41% || [[Kamisetty Parasuram Naidu]] || {{party name with color|Independent politician}} || 2,433 || 48.43% || Abdul Khader Jeelani Mohammed || {{party name with color|Indian National Congress (I)}} || 2,165 || 43.09% || 268
|}

==See also==
*[[List of constituencies of the Puducherry Legislative Assembly]]
*[[1980 elections in India]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite web |title=Record of all Puducherry Assembly elections |url=https://old.eci.gov.in/files/category/87-puducherry/ |website=eci.gov.in |publisher=[[Election Commission of India]] |access-date=19 May 2022}}

{{Puducherry elections}}

[[Category:1980 State Assembly elections in India|p]]
[[Category:State Assembly elections in Puducherry]]
[[Category:1980s in Pondicherry]]

1980 Pondicherry Legislative Assembly election - Revision history

Sergdpd at 13:30, 6 May 2026