ITANAGAR, Nov 6: Over 75 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the bypoll for electing five gram panchayat members (GPMs) and one zila parishad member (ZPM) in Arunachal Pradesh on Monday, an official said.
The polling, which began at 7 am and ended at 4 pm, was held peacefully, he said.
The voter turnout is likely to go up as reports from two polling centers are yet to be compiled, State Election Commission secretary Taru Talo said.
Across 23 districts of the state, 54 seats fell vacant in the gram panchayats and two seats fell vacant in the zila parishads. Polling was held for one zilla parishad seat and five gram panchayat seats, after the rest were decided uncontested, Talo said.
The seats fell vacant due to various reasons, including death and resignations of members, he said.
A total of 3,788 voters, including 2,015 women, were eligible to exercise their franchise in the five panchayat seats and one zilla parishad seat, spread over Anjaw, Lower Dibang Valley, Shi-Yomi, Lower Siang and Papum Pare districts, where polling was held.
Arunachal Pradesh has a total of 25 zila parishads with 242 constituencies and 2,115 gram panchayats with 8,145 seats.
Elections to 40 gram panchayat seats and one zila parishad in Vijoynagar administrative sub-division in Changlang district, however, is pending due to law and order situation and other administrative issues, State Election Commissioner Rinchin Tashi had earlier said.
“As per report of the district election officer, circumstances are not conducive for holding elections at Vijoynagar,” the SEC had said.
The counting of votes for the bypolls will be held on November 8.
The ruling BJP won 37 panchayat seats and one zilla parishad seat uncontested. The opposition Congress won five panchayat seats unopposed, while independent candidates won six seats, and the National People’s Party (NPP) bagged one seat uncontested.
The last panchayat elections in the state were held in December 2020, and by-elections were held in July 2022 for one zila parishad seat and 130 gram panchayat seats. (PTI)
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