Itanagar: In a first for Arunachal Pradesh, the State Election Commission (SEC) has allowed polling personnel on municipal election duty to cast their votes on the spot instead of using postal ballots.
An order issued by SEC secretary Taru Talo on Thursday said that polling staff from Itanagar and Pasighat, where civic elections will be held on December 15, can apply for the facility at least three days before polling.
Applicants must submit their election duty appointment order to their respective municipal returning officers.
Once verified, the returning officer will mark the voter’s name on the electoral roll and issue a ballot paper for immediate voting.
The officer will decide the time, date and venue for casting the vote and must inform contesting candidates or their authorised representatives, who may remain present during voting.
Ballots may be cast either by sealing the paper in an envelope provided by the MRO or through the Election Duty Certificate ballot box system.
Counterfoils of the ballot papers will be kept in sealed covers to maintain transparency and security.
The SEC said the provision has been invoked under Article 243ZA of the Constitution to ensure that personnel on election duty do not lose their voting right.
The December 15 polls will cover the 12th panchayat elections and the third municipal elections for Itanagar and Pasighat.
The state has 27 zilla parishads with 245 constituencies and 2,103 gram panchayats comprising 8,181 constituencies.
The Itanagar Municipal Corporation has 20 wards and the Pasighat Municipal Council eight.
A total of 8,31,648 voters are eligible—7,59,210 for panchayat polls and 72,438 for municipal elections.
Upper Subansiri district has the highest number of panchayat voters at 61,142, while Dibang Valley has the lowest at 4,249.
In the municipalities, Itanagar’s Ward 19 has the highest voter count at 5,106, while Pasighat’s Ward 6 has the lowest at 812.
The SEC will set up 2,171 polling stations for panchayat polls, 67 for the IMC and 12 for the PMC.
Municipal elections will use EVMs, while panchayat voting will be conducted through ballot boxes.
Over 40,000 personnel, including 15,000 polling staff, will be deployed. Counting will take place on December 20.
