Arunachal Pradesh assembly election on Friday witnessed clashes between supporters of two candidates near a polling station in the Bameng constituency, East Kameng district. Despite initial delays caused by technical issues with EVMs, the overall turnout had 68 per cent of the 8.92 lakh electors casting their votes. According to news agency PTI, Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Chukhu Apa confirmed the violent incident, stating that the situation was swiftly brought under control, allowing polling to proceed uninterrupted.
Incidents of electronic voting machine (EVM) damage were also reported from three polling stations in East Kameng, Kurung Kumey, and Upper Subansiri districts, police said. "Voting resumed there after the replacement of machines and the situation is now peaceful," he said, as per PTI.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain also assured that polling resumed smoothly after the replacement of machines that encountered technical snags, PTI's report stated. The turnout was moderate in the morning due to inclement weather, but improved later in the day, according to the report.
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Arunachal Pradesh Assembly Election 2024: Seat-Wise Turnout
The polling percentages varied across districts, with Kamle (81%), Lower Subansiri (82.10%), and Pakke Kessang (82.60%) recording high turnouts, while Siang (47.56%) and Papum Pare (35.49%) saw very low lower participation.
Here is a break-up of the seat-wise turnout in Arunachal Pradesh assembly election:
Arunachal Pradesh Assembly Election 2024: Union Minister Kiren Rijiju & CM Pema Khandu Cast Votes In Native Villages
Political heavyweights, including Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju, Chief Minister Pema Khandu, and Deputy CM Chowna Mein, exercised their franchise early in the day. Rijiju voted in his village Nafra, Khandu in Mukto constituency, and Mein in Chowkham.
CM Khandu said, "I interacted with the people of the state and people are very happy. They are saying that it is time to thank BJP and PM Narendra Modi for their support to Arunachal Pradesh."
Governor Lt Gen (Retd) K T Parnaik and his wife Anagha Parnaik also cast their votes, urging all voters to fulfill their democratic duty. The governor emphasised the importance of voter participation in strengthening democracy.
A total of 133 candidates are vying for 60 assembly seats, with 14 contestants in the fray for the Lok Sabha polls. Notably, voting was held for 50 seats as 10 candidates, all from the ruling BJP, won from their seats unopposed.
Among the 10 candidates, are incumbent CM Pema Khandu (from Mukto) and Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein (from Chowkham). As many as six constituencies did see more than one nomination and nominations were withdrawn in the other four seats.
The Sagalee and Ziro-Hapoli seats were won by BJP's debutants Ratu Techi and Hage Appa, respectively. The Sagalee seat was former CM Nabam Tuki's stronghold, but he withdrew to contest the Arunachal West constituency.
Despite sporadic incidents, polling across various districts remained peaceful, as reported by the CEO. The state witnessed a record 83.33 per cent voter turnout during the simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly polls in 2019. The BJP had won 41 seats in the last assembly elections. However, the numbers increased after all seven MLAs from the JD(U) switched to the saffron party.
The counting of votes for the assembly elections is scheduled for June 2, with Lok Sabha poll results to be announced on June 4.