Arunachal Pradesh West and Arunachal Pradesh East parliamentary constituencies are polling on Thursday in the first phase of Lok Sabha election 2019.
The northeastern state’s 57 assembly constituencies are also witnessing elections simultaneously.
Seven candidates, including one woman, are contesting from the Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat, while five are contesting from the Arunachal East parliamentary constituency. As many as 181 candidates are in the fray in the assembly elections and 11 of them are women.
Also read: All you need to know about Arunachal Pradesh
The BJP has fielded its candidates in all the 57 assembly seats while the Congress is contesting in 46 seats, the NPP in 30 seats, JD(U) in 15 constituencies, JD(S) 12, PPA 9 and the All India Party (AIP) in one seat. Eleven independents are also contesting the assembly polls in the state.
The ruling BJP has already won three assembly seats unopposed - 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.
Union junior home minister Kiren Rijiju is facing former state chief minister and Congress leader Nabam Tuki in Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat. The constituency has not returned the incumbent in the last three polls.
{{/usCountry}}Union junior home minister Kiren Rijiju is facing former state chief minister and Congress leader Nabam Tuki in Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat. The constituency has not returned the incumbent in the last three polls.
{{/usCountry}}The two-time member of Parliament from Arunachal West seat, Rijiju has emerged as one of the most important faces of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the northeast since his appointment as the Union minister.
Also read: BJP’s face in northeast Kiren Rijiju faces ex-CM
Jarjum Ete, a popular woman politician who resigned from the Congress, is contesting on a Janata Dal(Secular) ticket.
Arunachal East, a Congress stronghold from where it has won seven times since the Lok Sabha election in the state in 1977, is witnessing a contest between the grand old party’s James Lowangcha Wanglat and BJP’s Tapir Gao. Bandey Mili of the Janata Dal(Secular) and Mongol Yomso of the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) - along with independent candidate C C Singpho are the three other candidates.
The votes will be counted on May 23.