| Staff REPORTER |
Itanagar, Dec 1: Senior BJP leader and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today said the people of the State have delivered a “sweeping verdict” in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), even before polling for the Panchayati Raj Institutions and Municipal elections, with a record number of candidates being elected unopposed.
According to the Chief Minister, four Municipal Corporators in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC), and 58 Zilla Parishad Members (ZPMs) and 5,037 Gram Panchayat Members (GPMs) across the State have already been elected unopposed.
Describing it as an “unprecedented mandate,” Khandu said the results reflect the public’s unshakable trust in the BJP’s model of development, transparency and good governance.
“The people of Arunachal Pradesh have spoken even before polling begins. This historic mandate strengthens our resolve to serve with greater dedication and sincerity,” the Chief Minister said in a statement, expressing heartfelt gratitude to every voter of the state.
He further added that the mandate also reflects the deep faith reposed in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP National President JP Nadda, and State BJP president Kaling Moyong, under whose guidance, he said, the state is scripting a new chapter of progress and development.
The large number of uncontested seats in the run-up to local bodies polling has drawn widespread attention, indicating a strong organisational hold of the ruling party at the grassroots level. Political analysts consider the development significant, as unopposed victories in such a high number of constituencies are rare in Arunachal Pradesh’s electoral history.
The State Election Commission (SEC) has already pointed out that a substantial percentage of Gram Panchayat and Zilla Parishad constituencies across the State have recorded only a single nomination, resulting in candidates being declared elected unopposed after scrutiny and withdrawal of nominations.
Notably, 5,857 out of 8,182 Gram Panchayat constituencies had recorded a single nomination each,” SEC Secretary Taru Talo has said.
Voting for the remaining seats of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and the Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Pasighat Municipal Council (PMC) is scheduled to be held on December 15, while counting of votes will take place on December 20.