Arrangements complete for Arunachal Pradesh polls: Additional Chief Electoral Officer Kangki Darang

ITANAGAR

: Necessary arrangements, including adequate deployment of security personnel in insurgency-hit districts, have been made for the smooth conduct of elections in two Lok Sabha seats and 57 assembly constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday.


"Randomization of electronic voting machines (EVMs) and polling parties have been completed.

"Polling parties, along with consignments for 518 remote and inaccessible booths out of the total 2,002 polling stations in the state, have already reached their destinations," Additional Chief Electoral Officer Kangki Darang said.

The polling teams will reach the remaining booths on Wednesday evening, he said.

On the security arrangements for the polls, Inspector General of Police Sunil Garg said, "We have deployed 45 companies of Central Armed Paramilitary Forces (CAPF) comprising ITBP, CRPF, IRBn, along with over 7,000 state civil police personnel."

Maximum security personnel have been deployed in insurgency-hit Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts, he said.

"New wireless sets have been procured and additional wireless sets have also been arranged from Delhi-based Directorate of Coordination Police Wireless (DCPW) for effective communication," the IGP said.

Mobile phones have been arranged where wireless sets do not function for officials to pass on information through WhatsApp while dak runners would be pressed into service where both systems are not accessible, he said.

Critical polling stations would be guarded by the CAPF besides the state police to ensure peaceful voting, the IGP said.

The flying squads and static surveillance team, appointed by the Election Commission, along with the state police has till now seized cash over Rupees six crore in the state, Garg added.

A total of 181 candidates, including 11 women, are vying for 57 out of the total 60 assembly seats in the state.

Seven candidates, including one woman, are trying their luck in the Arunachal West parliamentary seat along with five candidates for the Arunachal East Lok Sabha seat.

The ruling BJP had already opened its account in the assembly polls by winning three seats unopposed.

The winners are Kento Jini from Along East constituency in West Siang district, Taba Tedir from Yachuli seat in

Lower Subansiri district

and Phurpa Tsering from

Dirang

seat in West Kameng district.

Deputy Chief Electoral officer Liken Koyu said 13,262 polling personnel have been engaged for 2,202 polling booths, including 518 polling stations which had to be reached on foot.

Twenty-six general observers, one special expenditure observer, 22 expenditure observers, two police observers, an accessibility observer and 484 micro observers have been deployed by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the polls, Koyu said.

A total of 7,94,162 voters, including 4,01,601 women, are eligible to exercise their franchise in 2,202 polling stations spread across the state.

There are also 3,000 odd physically challenged voters in the state.

This time, there are also 11 polling stations exclusively for women.

Polling Station no 52 at Naharalagun, under Itanagar Assembly constituency, has the highest number of voters at 1340, while Malogam polling station under

Hayuliang

constituency in remote Anjaw district bordering China has only one female voter.

Luguthang polling booth under Mukto constituency in Tawang district is the highest polling station located at an altitude of about 13,583 feet.

Eleven polling stations have been set up exclusively for female voters, the sources said.

The state has 281 vulnerable polling booths and 662 critical polling stations.

The BJP has fielded candidates in all the remaining 57 assembly seats while the Congress is contesting in 46 seats, the NPP in 30 seats, JDU in 15 constituencies, JDS (12), PPA (9) and the All India Party (AIP) in one seat.

There are also 11 independents in the fray for the assembly polls in the state.