Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to:
Puducherry, also known as Pondicherry, is a union territory of India, consisting of four small geographically unconnected districts. It was formed out of four territories of former French India, namely Pondichéry, Karikal (Karaikal), Mahé and Yanaon, excluding Chandannagar (Chandernagore), and it is named after the largest district, Puducherry, which was also the capital of French India. Historically known as Pondicherry, the territory changed its official name to Puducherry on 1 October 2006.
Yanam is a town located in the Yanam district in Puducherry. It has a population of 35,000 and is entirely surrounded by Andhra Pradesh. It was formerly a French colony for nearly 200 years, and, though united with India in 1954, is still sometimes known as "French Yanam". It possesses a blend of French culture and the Telugu culture, nicknamed Frelugu. During French rule, the Tuesday market at Yanam was popular among the Telugu people in the Madras Presidency, who visited Yanam to buy foreign and smuggled goods during Yanam People's Festival held in January. After implementation of the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 in British India, Telugu people often traveled to Yanam to conduct child marriages, which remained legal under the French administration.
Pondicherry is the capital and most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of India and is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal to the east and the state of Tamil Nadu, with which it shares most of its culture, heritage, and language.
The Puducherry Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Indian union territory (UT) of Puducherry, which comprises four districts: Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahé and Yanam. Out of eight union territories of India, only three have legislatures and they are Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir. After delimitation shortly after its formation, the Puducherry legislative assembly has 33 seats, of which 5 are reserved for candidates from scheduled castes and 3 members are nominated by the Government of India. 30 out of 33 Members are elected directly by the people on the basis of universal adult franchise and the remaining three are nominated by the central government. These nominated members enjoy same powers as elected members of the assembly.
Karaikal district is one of the four districts of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India.
The City of Puducherry on the southeast coast of India does not have a recorded history from antiquity. Puducherry has history recorded only after the advent of the colonial powers such as the Dutch, Portuguese, English and the French. Nearby places such as Arikanmedu, Kakayanthoppe, Villianur, and Bahur, which were annexed by the French East India Company over a period of time and became the Union Territory of Puducherry after Independence, have written histories that predate the colonial era.
The official standing of languages in Puducherry is governed by the 1963 assembly resolution to continue French as official language and the subsequent Pondicherry Official Language Act, 1965 which states under the heading "Official language of the Union territory" that Tamil is the language to be used for all or any official purposes in the Union Territory, while Malayalam and Telugu may be used in Mahé and Yanam respectively. The Act also stipulates that English may be used for any of the official purposes of the Union territory.
Pondicherry District is one of the four districts of Puducherry Union Territory. It has extensive road network. Every village of Pondicherry district is connected by an all-weather metalled road.
Yanaon was one of the five principal settlements of French India between 1731 and 1954. It was referred to in British records as Yanam.
The municipalities of Puducherry include five administrative municipalities in the Union Territory of Puducherry, India. The territory had French system of municipal administration from 1880 through 1968, when it was reformed.
The French community in India consists mainly of Indian citizens of French ancestry who are descended from former French settlers and colonists who settled in the Indian subcontinent since the 17th century, as well as recent expatriates from France.
Varadarajulu Kailasa Subbiah was an Indian communist politician from Pondicherry. Subbiah was the secretary of the Communist Party of French India. He is regarded as the founder of the trade union movement in the union territory. Subbiah was one of the 'Tamrapatra awardees', awarded the decoration for their role in the Indian freedom struggle.
In 1946, French India became Overseas territory of France. Then, in the same year on 25 October, the Representative Assembly of French India of 44 members has been created that replaced the general council of 30 members.
After the merger of French settlements into an Indian union, a new assembly, named the Pondicherry Representative Assembly, was created by the government of India. After the "de facto transfer day" of 1 October 1954, before 16 August 1962 also referred to as "de-jure transfer day". During this transition period, general elections to the representative assembly were held in 1955 and 1959. After the de-jure transfer day, legal integration of French settlements into the Indian Union was complete. However, this assembly, like its predecessor, was advisory in its role, which led to frequent contention between the popular government and the chief commissioner.
The Second Assembly of PondicherryDeuxième Assemblée de Pondichéry succeeded the First Assembly of Pondicherry and was constituted after the victory of Indian National Congress (INC) and allies in the 1964 assembly election held on 23 August 1964. Venkatasubba Reddiar assumed office as 2nd Pondicherry. These were the first Legislative Assembly elections after the formation of the new Union Territory.
The Pondicherry Representative Assembly was converted into the Legislative Assembly on 1 July 1963 as per Section 54(3) of The Union Territories Act, 1963. All the 39 members who were elected by 1959 were deemed to have been elected to the First Assembly of PondicherryPremière Assemblée de Pondichéry.
The Second Representative Assembly of PondicherryDeuxième Assemblée Représentative de Pondichéry succeeded the First Representative Assembly of Pondicherry and was constituted after the victory of Indian National Congress (INC) and its ally in the 1959 assembly election held between 11 and 14 August 1959.
Elections to the Puducherry Legislative Assembly were held in March 1969, to elect members of the 3rd Puducherry Assembly. The Indian National Congress won the popular vote, but the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won the most seats, and M. O. H. Farook was appointed as the Chief Minister of Puducherry.
Elections to the Puducherry Legislative Assembly were held in February 1974, to elect members of the 30 constituencies in Puducherry, in India. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam won the most seats, and its leader, S. Ramassamy was appointed as the Chief Minister of Puducherry.