Campaigning ends for bypoll to two Arunachal assembly seats

Campaigning for the by-poll in two assembly constituencies in Arunachal Pradesh - Pakee-Kessang and Likabali came to an end at 5 pm today.
Polling in the two constituencies in East Kameng and West Siang district respectively would be held on December 21.
Joint Chief Electoral Officer D J Bhattacharjee informed that the Voter-Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system would be used for the by-poll for the first time in the state along with the EVMs.
He said all preparations for successful polling was complete and polling parties would move to their respective polling stations from today.
All poll materials along with EVMs and VVPATs are ready for dispatched to the polling stations, Bhattacharjee said adding the Election Commission has appointed general and expenditure observers to oversee the entire polling process.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made with deployment of state police and ITBP along with four companies of central paramilitary forces from outside the state.

Altogether 150 polling personnel have been deployed for Pakke-Kessang while 220 polling personnel would conduct the polling in Likabali constituency, he added.
The Pakke-Kessang seat is all set for a straight contest between former deputy chief minister Kameng Dolo, who is the Congress candidate and BJP nominee B R Waghe, while the Likabali constituency would see a multi-cornered contest with four candidates in the fray. The four are Kardo Nyigyor of BJP, Modam Dini of Congress, Gumke Riba of Peoples Party of Arunachal and Independent candidate Sengo Taipodia.

A total 7,455 voters including 3943 women would exercise their franchise in 29 polling stations in Pakke-Kessang constituency while another 10608, including 5331 women voters would cast their votes in 39 polling stations in Likabali.
Counting of votes in the two constituencies would take place on December 24, the EC sources said.
The Likabali seat had fallen vacant after the death of health and family welfare minister Jomde Kena on September 4 this year in Guwahati.
The Pakke-Kessang seat fell vacant after the Gauhati High Court declared null and void the election of Kameng Dolo from it following an election petition filed against him by BJP nominee and former minister Atum Welly.

Dolo had won the poll unopposed in 2014 and Welly had alleged that a fraudulent move had thrown him out of the fray as the EC had accepted a forged letter of withdrawal of his candidature.
Welly in his election petition had said that the withdrawal of his candidature was illegal as his signature was forged.