BJP sweeps panchayat bye-poll in Arunachal Pradesh

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ITANAGAR: The ruling BJP in Arunachal Pradesh clinched the Panchayat bye-poll by winning 108-gram panchayat (GP) seats, elections for which were held on July 12 last, State Election Commission (SEC) official informed here on Saturday.

While the National Peoples' Party (NPP) secured five GP seats, opposition Congress and Janata Dal (United) won three each and Independent bagged 11 seats, counting of votes for which was held on Saturday, State Election Commissioner Hage Kojeen informed.

In the lone Zila Parishad member (ZPM) seat in the Kurung Kumey district, Independent candidate Bengia Taeyang won by defeating his rival NPP candidate Chello Tagar, by a margin of 98 votes.

The SEC had on June 14 this year, issued a notification for holding panchayat by-polls to 130 GPs and one ZPM seat.

However, 116 GPM seats were declared unopposed, out of which the ruling BJP won 101 seats, the NPP and Congress two seats respectively including, one by JD(U) and ten by independent candidates.

Bye-elections were held for one ZPM seat and 114 GPM seats.

An estimated 84.55 per cent of voters, out of a total 4,057, exercised their franchise for electing 14 GPMs and one ZPM, Kojeen informed.

Arunachal Pradesh has a total of 8,216 GPM seats and 242 ZPM seats.

Among the ZPM seats, the ruling BJP has 188, JD (U) has 10, Congress (9), NPP (7), PPA (3) and independents (24).

Out of the total GPM seats in the state, BJP has 6,378 seats, Congress (378), NPP (243), JDU (159), PPA (27) and independents (1046).

Elections to 40 GPM seats and one ZPM seat in the Vijoynagar sub-division of Changlang district have been kept pending due to law & order and other administrative issues, Kojeen added.

Elections to a few GPM seats also could not be held due to court cases.

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