[Bengia Ajum]
ITANAGAR, 18 Jan: For the first time in the history of Arunachal Pradesh, six members of the transgender community have been registered as voters.
These six will create history when they cast votes in the upcoming state assembly and general elections.
Joint Chief Electoral Officer (JCEO) Liken Koyu informed this daily that the commission has also appointed, Marie Game, as “the state transgender icon” after obtaining approval from the Election Commission of India (ECI).
“This has been done to encourage the community members to actively participate in the electoral process, and also for creating electoral awareness among the transgender members,” informed the JCEO.
The total number of registered voters in the state, as on 5 January, is 8,82,816. In 2019, the total voters registered was 7, 98,248. The total number of registered female voters is 4,49,050, while that of male voters is 4,36,760.
Further, the total number of polling stations in the state has increased to 2,260. There were 2,202 polling stations during the 2019 election.
The term of the present assembly ends on 2 June, and election will have to be conducted before that.
“The election dates will be announced by the ECI. On our part, we are conducting regular meetings to take updates about the preparedness in the districts. We are working to ensure that basic minimum facilities are made available for smooth conduct of the elections,” said Koyu.
The election to the 60-member assembly constituency is expected to be announced along with the general election. In 2019, the total voting percentage was 76.6. The BJP recorded a vote share of 51 per cent, followed by the Congress (17 per cent), the NPP (14.7 per cent), and the JD (U) (10 per cent), while 0.9 per cent voted for NOTA.
The saffron party had won 41 seats – three of them unopposed – followed by the JD (U) (seven), the NPP (five) and the Congress (four).
