In a move to strengthen grassroots democracy and boost women’s representation, the District Election Office of West Kameng today conducted a public draw of lots to reserve 33% of seats for women across Zila Parishad, Gram Panchayat, and Gram Panchayat Chairperson constituencies.
The transparent process, held at the Kameng Club in Bomdila, determined the constituencies reserved for women candidates ahead of the upcoming Panchayati Raj elections in Arunachal Pradesh. The event was supervised by Dechin Doka, District Panchayat Development Officer (DPDO)-cum-In-Charge District Election Officer (DEO), who provided attendees with a detailed explanation of the rules and procedures, citing the mandates of the Arunachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act, 1997, and the Arunachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj (Delimitation of Constituencies and Reservation of Seats) (Amendment) Rules, 2018.
Of the 13 total Zilla Parishad Member (ZPM) seats in the district, four constituencies—specifically Thembang, Dirang, Thrizino, and Jerigaon—were declared officially reserved for women. Beyond the Zilla Parishad, similar draws were conducted to allocate reserved seats for women in the 110 Gram Panchayat Chairpersons (GPCs) and 503 Gram Panchayat Members (GPMs) positions throughout West Kameng district.
The draw was characterized by its full transparency, with a diverse attendance of administrative officers from all sub-divisions, representatives of political parties, Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members, senior citizens, villagers, and members of the general public. This exercise represents a pivotal step toward ensuring greater female participation in local self-governance, reinforcing the democratic spirit at the local level.
