Twenty-one candidates are in the election fray in eight municipal wards of Pasighat Municipal Council (PMC) with analysts foreseeing a straight contest between the ruling BJP and the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) in four civic wards. The contesting candidates include eight each from BJP and NDA-allied PPA, three Congress (INC) and two Independent candidates. Former PMC chairman Okiam Moyong Borang is contesting again from Ward 2 of the PMC, which is reserved for women, and is facing a straight contest from PPA candidate Mem Tamut.
Political experts also see a possibility of triangular contests in Wards 1, 5, and 6 of the civil body. Opposition Congress (INC) has fielded its party candidates in Wards 5, 6 and 8 of the PMC, where they are in for a tough battle against BJP and PPA candidates.
On the other hand, two independent candidates – Thomas Ering (Ward 1) and Oni Tamuk (Ward 8) – are also contesting the civic body poll, and are facing tough contests from the BJP, PPA and INC candidates. Only one ward, Ward 8 is likely to witnessed a four-cornered contest, the experts opine. The municipal election authority in Pasighat has set up 12 polling stations to conduct the civic poll, covering eight urban wards of PMC. Notably, as many as 12,373 voters, including 6,182 male and 6,191 female municipal voters, are recorded for the civic body poll. They will exercise their franchise on December 15, the date of polling. Meanwhile, battlelines have been drawn with political parties as well as Independent candidates intensifying poll campaigns to woo urban voters to their sides as polling day nears.
