Over 80 percent polling recorded in Arunachal panchayat bye-poll

OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: An estimated 80.63 per cent voters, out of total 4,057 in Arunachal Pradesh, exercised their franchise for electing 14 Gram Manchayat Members (GPMs) and one Zila Parishad Member (ZPM), bye-elections for which were held on Tuesday, a senior official at the State Election Commission said.

While the polling percentage for the GPM elections was recorded at 88.28 per cent, the voting percentage for the ZPM seat stood at 72.99 per cent, secretary of State Election Commission (SEC) Nyali Ete informed.

The polling was largely peaceful in all the polling booths barring the Tayeng Primary School polling station at Koloriang in Kurung Kumey district for the ZP seat, where polling was disrupted after mob physically assaulted polling officials and damaged polling materials, Ete said. Fresh polling in the booth has been ordered on July 14, he said. A total of 31 candidates including, 14 from the ruling BJP, NPP (8), Congress one, JD(U) (3) and independents (5), are in the fray for the GPM polls while, two candidates including, one from NPP and another independent are locking horns for the lone ZPM seat.

The SEC had on June 14 last issued notification for holding panchayat by-polls to 130 GPMs and one ZPM seat. As many as 116 GPM seats have been declared uncontested, out of which the ruling BJP won 101 seats, the NPP and Congress two seats respectively including, one by JD(U) and 10 by independent candidates.

Elections to 40 GPM seats and one ZPM seat in Vijoynagar sub-division of Changlang district have been kept pending due to law & order and other administrative issues, Ete informed. Counting of votes will take place on July 16.

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