Counting of votes for the panchayat and civic body elections in Arunachal Pradesh began on Saturday morning under tight security arrangements, officials said. The process started at 8 am at 45 counting centres across 27 districts, according to State Election Commission Secretary Taru Talo.
Electronic Voting Machines were used for counting in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation and Pasighat Municipal Council elections, while ballot papers were counted for the panchayat polls. Counting is underway for 186 Zilla Parishad Member seats, with 59 candidates already elected unopposed, and for 1,947 Gram Panchayat seats where polling was held, while 6,227 candidates had been elected unopposed earlier.
Elections for 16 wards of the Itanagar Municipal Corporation and eight wards of the Pasighat Municipal Council were held on December 15, with four BJP candidates elected unopposed in Itanagar. Officials said the elections were conducted peacefully with strong coordination between authorities and security forces.
The panchayat polls recorded nearly 75 per cent voter turnout, while turnout stood at 51.39 per cent in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation and 60.95 per cent in the Pasighat Municipal Council elections.
