The state is all set for the municipal and panchayat elections scheduled for 15 December. Several candidates have been elected unopposed in both municipal and rural local body elections.
A total of 440 candidates are contesting seats across district councils and municipal wards of Itanagar and Pasighat. Over 8.3 lakh voters are eligible to vote, comprising both rural and urban electorates, and polling will be conducted at more than 2,200 polling stations across the state.
Electronic voting machines will be used for municipal elections, while ballot boxes will be used for panchayat polls. Voters will have to wait until 20 December to know the results.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has already secured a significant advantage by winning 58 zilla parishad constituencies unopposed. In addition, as many as 5,037 BJP candidates for gram panchayat member posts have been declared elected without contest. The party’s dominance was further reflected in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation where four BJP candidates were also elected unopposed.
However, the seats going to the polls are expected to witness interesting contests. These elections are testing times for elected representatives in the legislative assemblies, as their future political activities are closely tied to the outcome. The results will be closely watched, especially in constituencies represented by the chief minister and the deputy chief minister. Whether money, influence, or favour will shape the outcome, it will ultimately be decided by the voters.