ITANAGAR, May 5 – An estimated 50 per cent voters exercised their franchise in two Lok Sabha constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh today despite the ongoing 48-hour statewide bandh called by the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union to enforce poll boycott to protest the inclusion of names of 1497 refugees in the state electoral roll.
Though there was no major incident, repolling has been ordered at a polling station near Palin in Kurung Kumey district and another at Chayang Tajo in East Kameng district. According to election office sources, bandh supporters damaged an electronic voting machine at Palin and polling was disrupted at Chayang Tajo following a quarrel between two groups there.
In the state capital, polling was dull in the morning but picked up as the day wore on.While shops and markets were closed due to the bandh for the second day today, vehicular traffic was off the road. Voters walked down to the polling stations in the absence of vehicles to cast their votes.
Almost all the 1497 refugees cast their votes in polling stations exclusively set up for them at Miao, Bordumsa-dyium in Changlang district and at Chakma village at Chowkham in Lohit district. Though there are 13 candidates, the fight is mainly between ruling BJP candidates and opposition Congress and Arunachal Congress aspirants.
BJP fielded Khiren Rijiju, general secretary of the state unit and Tapir Gao, for West and East seats respectively. The Congress renominated Wangcha Rajkumar who represented Arunachal East seat in the Lok Sabha for the last two terms and left the West seat to its ally, Arunachal Congress president Kamen Ringu.