Arunachal CM hails simultaneous LS, Assembly polls in state on April 19

Itanagar, March 16 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday welcomed the announcement of simultaneous elections to two Lok Sabha seats and the 60-member Assembly in the state on April 19, saying that it is a great opportunity for the citizens to actively engage in shaping the nation's future. 

As per the election schedule announced by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar in Delhi on Saturday, the Assembly elections and polling for the two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal will be held on April 19. The counting of votes for both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections will be taken up on June 4.

The five-year term of the Arunachal Assembly ends on June 2.

After the announcement of the election schedule by the CEC, Chief Minister Khandu posted on X: “I heartily welcome the announcement of Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha poll schedule by the ECI. It is a great opportunity for the citizens to actively engage in shaping the nation's future."

“Elections underscore the essence of democratic principles, where every individual's voice holds significance in the collective decision-making process. As citizens, we must participate (in the elections) thoughtfully, ensuring that our choices reflect our aspirations for a better and more inclusive India.

"With the announcement of Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, we embrace the democratic spirit that unites us as a nation and reaffirm our commitment to the ideals of freedom, equality, and progress,” the Chief Minister added.

In the 2019 general elections, the ruling BJP won both the seats in Arunachal, while it bagged 41 out of the 60 Assembly seats in the state. 

The Janata Dal (United) managed seven seats, the National People’s Party won five seats, the Congress secured four seats, the PPA won one seat, while two Independent candidates also emerged victorious in the 2019 Assembly elections.

The BJP has already announced candidates for all the 60 Assembly seats, besides renominating Union Minister Kiren Rijiju from the Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat and Tapir Gao from the Arunachal East seat.

The Nationalist Congress Party has also announced the names of eight candidates for the Assembly polls.

Meanwhile, Arunachal's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain said there are 8,82,816 voters in the state, including 4,49,050 female electorate.