38% voters exercise franchise till 1pm in Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar: An estimated 38 per cent of the total 8,92,694 voters exercised their franchise till 1pm on Friday in Arunachal Pradesh where polling for two Lok Sabha seats and 50 assembly constituencies is underway, officials said.

The ruling BJP has already won ten seats in the 60-member assembly unopposed.

The turnout, which was moderate in the morning hours due to inclement weather, gained momentum as condition improved during the day.

In a few polling stations, voting was delayed as electronic voting machines (EVMs) developed technical snags which were later replaced, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain said.

Though reports of poll-related violence poured in from a few districts, the election officials here are yet to confirm it.

Union Earth Science Minister Kiren Rijiju, Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Deputy CM Chowna Mein were among the early voters in the northeastern state.

Rijiju cast his vote in his village Nafra in the newly created Bichom district, while Khandu exercised his franchise at the government secondary school in Bomba from where he did his schooling, at Mukto constituency in Tawang district, the officials said.

Mein exercised his franchise at Chowkham.

Governor Lt Gen (Retd) K T Parnaik and his wife Anagha Parnaik, cast their votes at polling station 1 at P Sector Government Secondary School here.

"I appeal to all voters of the state to exercise their franchise," the governor told reporters.

The voters will decide the electoral fate of 133 assembly candidates and 14 Lok Sabha contestants.

In Arunachal West parliamentary seat, eight candidates, including Rijiju and state Congress president Nabam Tuki, are in the fray.

Sitting BJP MP Tapir Gao and state Congress vice-president Bosiram Siram are among the six candidates who are contesting from Arunachal East.