Counting underway for panchayat, civic polls in Arunachal

Itanagar, Dec 20 (PTI) Counting of votes is underway for the panchayat and civic elections in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday, amid elaborate security arrangements, officials said.

The counting commenced at 8 am in 45 centres across 27 districts, State Election Commission (SEC) Secretary Taru Talo said.

For the Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Pasighat Municipal Council (PMC), electronic voting machines (EVMs) have been used while ballot papers are being counted for the panchayat poll, he said.

In the panchayat elections, counting is being conducted for 186 zilla parishad member (ZPM) seats, out of a total of 245.

Fifty-nine members have already been elected unopposed, the official said.

In the gram panchayat (GP) category, 6,227 candidates were elected unopposed, with voting held for the remaining 1,947 seats.

Talo said elections were held for 16 wards of the IMC and eight wards of the PMC on December 15, as four BJP candidates had won unopposed in the Itanagar civic body polls.

The SEC secretary said the panchayat elections were conducted peacefully across the state with adequate security and administrative measures in place.

A voter turnout of nearly 75 per cent was recorded in the panchayat polls across the state.

In the urban local body elections, voter participation stood at 51.39 per cent in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation and 60.95 per cent in the Pasighat Municipal Council. PTI UPL UPL BDC