Arunachal Pradesh Gears Up for Panchayat and Municipal Elections Amidst Tight Security

Elections in Arunachal Pradesh for panchayati raj institutions and civic bodies are set to take place with over 40,000 personnel deployed to ensure smooth operations. The polls involve the ruling BJP winning seats unopposed and the participation of 440 candidates for zilla parishad seats.

Elections to panchayati raj institutions and civic bodies in Itanagar and Pashighat, Arunachal Pradesh, are scheduled for Monday, as confirmed by officials. Over 40,000 personnel will be deployed to facilitate smooth polling activities. Voting begins at 7 am and ends at 4 pm, according to State Election Commissioner (SEC) Rinchin Tashi.

The BJP has claimed 58 zilla parishad seats unopposed, alongside a win by the National People's Party (NPP) in one seat. Additionally, four BJP candidates were elected to the Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) without contest. There are 440 candidates vying for 186 zilla parishad seats, 39 for 16 IMC wards, and 21 in contention for eight Pasighat Municipal Council (PMC) wards.

A total of 8,31,648 voters, comprising 7,59,210 for panchayat bodies and 72,438 for municipal elections, will cast ballots. EVMs will be used for municipal polls while ballot boxes serve for panchayat voting. Vote counting is scheduled for December 20, and special security measures are in place for sensitive districts like Tirap, Changlang, and Longding.

(With inputs from agencies.)