ITANAGAR: By-poll to five Gram Panchayat Members (GPMs) and one Zila Parishad Member (ZPM) in Arunachal Pradesh witnessed 75% voters’ turnout on Monday.
According to State Election Commission, the voters’ turnout is expected to see a surge as reports from two polling centres are yet to be added to the final tally.
The day-long polling, which commenced at 7 am and concluded at 4 pm, unfolded peacefully, a national news agency reported.
The by-poll, spanning 23 districts of the state, was necessitated due to the vacancy of 54 seats in the Gram Panchayats and two seats in the Zila Parishads.
Of these, polling took place for one zilla parishad seat and five gram panchayat seats, while the remaining seats were uncontested, the election commission informed. The vacancies arose from various reasons, including member deaths and resignations.
A total of 3,788 eligible voters, including 2,015 women, exercised their right to vote in the five panchayat seats and one zila parishad seat, distributed across Anjaw, Lower Dibang Valley, Shi-Yomi, Lower Siang, and Papum Pare districts.
Arunachal Pradesh boasts a total of 25 zila parishads, with 242 constituencies, and 2,115 gram panchayats with 8,145 seats.
However, elections for 40 Gram Panchayat seats and one Zila Parishad seat in the Vijaynagar administrative sub-division in Changlang district remain pending due to law-and-order concerns.
“As per the report of the district election officer, circumstances are not conducive for holding elections in Vijaynagar,” the SEC had noted.
The results of the by-polls will be unveiled on November 8, determining the composition of these essential local governance bodies.
It’s noteworthy that the ruling BJP secured 37 panchayat seats and one zila parishad seat uncontested, while the opposition Congress secured five panchayat seats without opposition.
Independent candidates emerged victorious in six seats, and the National People’s Party (NPP) clinched one uncontested seat.
