The Arunachal Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said that its members were elected unopposed to 96 zilla parishads, 5,410 gram panchayats, and five of its corporators won without any challenges in the local body elections. The polls are scheduled for December 22.
Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs congratulated the party candidates who won the elections.
“Congratulations to BJP candidates who won unopposed in the Panchayat and Municipal polls, 96 out of 240 ZPMs [Zilla Parishad members], 5410 out of 8291 GPMs [gram panchayat members], five out of 20 corporators,” Rijiju tweeted. “Arunachal Pradesh stands with PM Narendra Modi Ji. Well guided by [BJP National President] JP Naddaji, [Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister] Pema Khanduji, State President BR Wageji.”
Arunachal Pradesh Election Commission Deputy Secretary Habung Lampung gave details of the elections, saying that five of the 40 wards in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation have been elected unopposed, according to Arunachal24. He also confirmed that all the five winners belonged to the BJP. The deputy secretary of the poll panel said the candidates in these seats as well as many others won because either no one contested or those who did later backed out of the polls.
Among those who have been elected unopposed to the Itanagar Municipal Corporation include former Deputy Chief Councillor Tarh Nachung from ward No 19, Arun Kipa Loram from Ward No 20, Kipa Takum from Ward No 18, Tai Yakia from Ward No 12 and Gyamar Tuvin from Ward No 14, reported The Sentinel Times.
Lampung said that the elections will be held in the eight wards in the Pasighat Municipal Corporation, where 18 candidates are in the fray. There are eight candidates each from the BJP and the Congress and one from the National People’s Party.
He said that the figures could change as reports were still coming in. Lampung was citing data till 9 pm on Tuesday.
Speaking about the Arunachal Pradesh Zilla Parishad, the deputy secretary said that 97 of the 242 seats won unopposed, adding that elections will be held in 143 seats. A total of 1,914 candidates won unopposed in over 8,000 seats of the gram panchayat elections. Lampung, however, could not say which party won in the seats.
He said that all the nine zilla panchayat seats in Kra Daadi and four in Dibang Valley were declared unopposed. Seven of these seats were also declared unopposed in East Kameng and West Kameng.
The deputy secretary also said that election to the one seat of Vijaynagar in Changlang district will not be held in view of a law and order problem. Paper ballots will be used for zilla panchayat elections and electronic machines for municipal polls, he said.
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