In a historic setback, the Indian National Congress party has recorded its worst-ever performance in the Puducherry Assembly elections, winning only one seat out of 22 contested in the 2026 elections. This is a drastic decline from the two seats it secured in the previous elections held in 2021. The Congress had formed an alliance with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) for this election. Notably, in several constituencies, including Thattanchavady, Congress leaders faced humiliating defeats, with V. Vaithilingam, the Pradesh Congress Committee chief, finishing fourth in his constituency, garnering only 2,990 votes out of 23,382 total votes. The electoral disaster has led to internal dissent, with some party members protesting against Vaithilingam's leadership and questioning the party's strategy moving forward.