Counting underway for Arunachal panchayat, local body polls

Counting of votes for panchayat and municipal elections in Arunachal Pradesh is underway on Saturday with officials adhering to Covid-19 protocols.

The counting began at 8 am for 142 Zila Parishad seats, 1,670 Gram Panchayat segments, and 23 of 28 wards of two urban local bodies- Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Pasighat Municipal Council (PMC), State Election Commissioner Hage Kojeen said.

Seventy-three per cent voting was recorded in the rural and civic polls in the state on December 22.

Read | Voting underway for Arunachal Pradesh panchayat, civic elections

"The counting of votes for panchayat and municipal polls is taking place in 40 centres, amid tight security arrangement. Officials have been asked to follow the Covid-19 protocols," he said.

There are 242 Zilla Parishad and 8,175 Gram Panchayat seats in the state.

A total of 98 Zilla Parshad and 6,168 Gram Panchayat members have been elected without any contest, the official said.

At least 110 Gram Panchayat segments in the state have fallen vacant due to various reasons. The SEC will take a final call on conducting by-elections to these seats after the current electoral process is over, the official said.

Elections to the Zilla Parishad seat in Vijaynagar in Changlang district along with 40 Gram Panchayats and Hawai North Zilla Parishad segment in Anjaw were kept in abeyance for various reasons.

Of the 20 seats of Itanagar Municipal Corporation, five candidates from the ruling BJP have been elected unopposed.

The counting is on for 15 wards of Itanagar Municipal Corporation and eight of Pasighat Municipal Council, Kojeen said.