Voting for Panchayat and Municipal elections in Arunachal Pradesh was held on Monday in a single phase amid elaborate security arrangements. Polling began at 7 am with voters seen queuing up at polling stations from early morning to exercise their franchise. The State Election Commission had made extensive security arrangements to ensure free and fair polling.
Personnel from the Arunachal Pradesh Civil Police, battalions, IRBn and more than 70 companies of Central Armed Police Forces were deployed to maintain law and order during the election. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu cast his vote at the Gyangkhar polling station in Tawang district. Speaking to the media after voting, Khandu said every vote would strengthen democracy at the grassroots level and contribute to community development and a better future for children.
Out of the total 8,208 Gram Panchayat seats in the state, 6,227 seats have already been decided uncontested.Of these, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has the highest number with 5,194 candidates elected unopposed.
Similarly, out of 245 Zilla Parishad seats, 69 candidates were elected unopposed, including 58 from the BJP and one from the NPP. In the Itanagar Municipal Corporation, four of the 20 wards have been decided uncontested, all won by BJP candidates. A total of 2,250 polling stations were set up across the state, with around 15,000 polling personnel deployed for the smooth conduct of the elections.
