BJP to sweep local body polls 'unopposed' in Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) looks set to dominate the panchayat and municipal elections in Arunachal Pradesh after it bagged over 5,500 panchayat and 5 municipal council seats ahead of the local body polls, scheduled to be held on December 22.

The BJP disclosed on Wednesday that the party has won 96 Zila Parishad members’ (ZPM) of the total 240 post, 5,410 Gram Panchayat members’ (GPM) seats of the 8,291 Gram Panchayat member posts and 5 out of the 20 seats for corporators to the Itanagar Municipal Corporation “unopposed”.

BJP has won 11 ZPM and 404 GPM uncontested seats in the Upper Subansiri district, and seven ZPM and 464 GPM seats in the Lower Subansiri district.

Also, eight of the party’s ZPM and 296 GPM seats have been won in the Kra Daadi district, and six ZPM and 221 GPM seats in the newly formed Kamle district.

In the Kurung Kumey district, the party managed to win six ZPM and 263 GPM, and four ZPM and 310 GPM in Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu’s home district of Tawang.

The party also swept 490 GPM seats, uncontested, while winning nine out of the 14 ZPM seats in the West Kameng district. Meanwhile, in East Kameng, the party won seven ZPM and 303 GPM seats.

BJP’s two ZPM and 145 GPM candidates in the Papum Pare district and one ZPM and 78 GPM candidates from the Lepa Rada district, won the seats uncontested.

The party also won five ZPM and 278 GPM seats in West Siang, and seven ZPM and 197 GPM seats in Upper Siang, both uncontested.

Although there are no uncontested wins in the Zila Parishad polls in Siang, East Siang and Lower Siang districts so far, BJP has managed to win 328 Gram Panchayat seats in the three districts.

The party has been able to win 120 GPM seats in Shi-Yomi and Pakke Kessang while capturing two ZPM seats in the two districts.

BJP has also managed to create history by winning all four ZPM and 71 GPM seats uncontested in the Dibang Valley district. Also in Lower Dibang Valley, the party won 3 ZPM and 96 GPM uncontested seats.

The party won 1 ZPM and 424 GPM seats in the Namsai district, one ZPM seat each and 165 GPM unopposed seats in Lohit and Anjaw districts.

The BJP won 5 ZPM seats unopposed in the Changlang district, and 2 and 3 ZPM seats in Tirap and Longding districts, respectively, while winning a total of 783 GPM uncontested seats in the three districts.

Following scrutiny of nominations filed by the candidates, the party managed to win 5 out of 20 seats in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation. However, no uncontested wins have been registered in the Pasighat Municipality polls which have 8 seats.

A total of 41 candidates have filed their nominations to contest the municipal polls in the Itanagar Capital Region, while 17 candidates have filed their nominations for the Pasighat Municipality polls, according to the State Election Commission.