Arunachal panchayat polls: Vote counting to begin at 8 AM on December 20

The State Election Commission, Arunachal Pradesh on December 19, said that all arrangements are in place for the counting of votes for the recently concluded Panchayat elections in the state, which will begin at 8 am on December 20.

Secretary of the State Election Commission Taru Talo said counting will be conducted across 27 districts, with 45 counting halls set up for the purpose. He added that strong rooms have been secured and are located close to the counting halls to ensure smooth movement and security of election materials.

Speaking to India Today, Talo said that out of 245 Zilla Parishad Member (ZPM) seats, 59 were elected uncontested, while the remaining seats went to polls. In the Gram Panchayat Member (GPM) segment, 6,227 of the total 8,208 seats were uncontested, while 1,948 seats were contested.

He said the Panchayat elections were conducted largely peacefully across the state with adequate security and administrative arrangements. “This year, we successfully conducted elections in Vijaynagar, a remote area of Changlang district, where elections could not be held earlier due to insurgency and law-and-order issues,” Talo said.

The election commission secretary also said candidates and their authorised election agents will be allowed inside the counting halls as per laid-down guidelines. He added that video recording will be carried out in the counting halls to ensure transparency.

Talo said by-elections held in four locations, Tirap, Bichom, Namsai and Kamle, were conducted peacefully. He noted that no major violations of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) were reported, except for one instance involving a statement by the panchayat minister, for which a written notice was issued.

He further said several companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were deployed to ensure security during polling, which was managed efficiently.

Appealing for calm after the results, Talo urged candidates and their supporters to maintain law and order. “In a democratic process, one candidate wins while others lose. I appeal to everyone to respect the outcome and maintain peace after counting,” he said.