| Staff REPORTER |
ITANAGAR, Apr 18: All preparations have been completed in Arunachal Pradesh for the high-voltage electoral battle in its two Lok Sabha seats and 50 Assembly constituencies.
Arunachal Pradesh is going to polls for both the Lok Sabha seats and 50 Assembly constituencies concurrently on April 19, Friday.
The campaigning for the simultaneous elections wrapped up on Wednesday.
The Arunachal West and Arunachal East Lok Sabha seats, currently held by the BJP’s Kiren Rijiju and Tapir Gao, are set to witness multi-cornered contests where the main fight will be between ruling BJP and opposition Congress.
In Arunachal West parliamentary constituency, which comprises 33 Assembly segments, Union Earth Sciences Minister Rijiju is seeking re-election for the third consecutive term. Against him, Congress has fielded its state chief and two-time chief minister Nabam Tuki.
Assam-based Gana Suraksha Party has fielded social activist-turned-politician Toko Sheetal, 43, the lone woman candidate for the Arunachal West seat. Five Independent candidates are also in the fight for the prestigious seat.
For the Arunachal East Lok Sabha seat, which has 27 Assembly constituencies, there are six candidates in the fray. They are BJP’s Tapir Gao, Congress’s Bosiram Siram, Bandey Mili from newly-floated Arunachal Democratic Party, and three Independents.
As regards to Assembly polls, the State is going to vote for electing 50 members of the 60-member House as 10 members – all from the BJP – including Chief Minister Pema Khandu and his Deputy Chowna Mein – were elected uncontested without a single vote being cast.
Prominent among the candidates in the fray for 50 Assembly seats are Speaker Pasang Dorjee Sona from Mechuka, State BJP chief Biyuram Wahge (Pakke Kessang), former CM Gegong Apang (Nari-Koyu), Forest Minister Mama Natung (Seppa West), Education Minister Taba Tedir (Yachuli), Health Minister Alo Libang (Tuting-Yingkiong), Deputy Speaker Tesam Pongte (Changlang North), and former Union Minister Ninong Ering (Pasighat West).
The State has 8,92,694 electorate, with female voters (4,54,256) outnumbering the males (4,38,433). There are five transgender voters as well.
They will decide the fate of 133 candidates in the electoral battle for the 50 Assembly seats and 14 contestants for two Parliamentary Constituencies across 2,226 polling booths in the State.
Polling is scheduled to begin at 7 am in the morning and conclude at 5 pm.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for smooth conduct of the voting process. Around 80 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including India Reserve Battalion (IRBn) and Arunachal Pradesh Police (APP) personnel have been deployed to control law and order, State’s Chief Electoral Officer Pawan Kumar Sain has said.
Counting of votes for the Assembly election will be held on June 2, two days ahead of the Lok Sabha polls votes counting.