133 in the fray for 50 assembly constituencies in Arunachal

Itanagar: A total of 133 candidates are in the fray for the 50 assembly constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh, which will go to the polls on April 19, officials said on Sunday.The ruling BJP has already won 10 seats of the 60-member assembly uncontested. Among those won are chief minister Pema Khandu, and two first-time candidates — Ratu Techi from Sagalee and Hage Appa of the Ziro-Hapoli seat.The BJP has fielded candidates in all the 50 seats that are going to the polls, while the opposition Congress is fighting in only 19 seats.The Meghalaya-based NPP has fielded candidates in 20 seats, the NCP is fighting 14 seats, the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) is contesting 11 seats, the Arunachal Democratic Party has fielded candidates in four seats, while the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) is fighting one seat.Also, there are 14 Independent candidates in the fray, chief electoral officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain said.A total of 80 nominees are first-time candidates. The highest number of first-time candidates has been fielded by the Congress. Of its 19 candidates, 17 are fresh faces.BJP has fielded 14 new candidates, while the NPP has nominated 16 first-time nominees.Among the candidates, eight are women — the highest in any assembly election in the state, though it’s dismally low compared to other parts of the country. The BJP has fielded four women, while the Congress has fielded three, and there is also a female independent candidate.The assembly polls in the state will be held along with the Lok Sabha elections. PTI

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