Pasighat

Arunachal Pradesh, Dec 27: The BJP wrested the Pasighat Municipal Council (PMC) from the Congress by winning six of the eight seats of the civic body in Arunachal Pradesh, while the JD (U), in its maiden contest in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation polls, bagged nine wards. The BJP, the ruling party in the state, won 10 seats, one short of the majority mark, in the 20-member Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC), and the NPP bagged one.

Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports Kiren Rijiju shared the news of the winning in Pasighat Municipal Councilon Twitter. “PM @NarendraModi Ji’s wave and support for @BJP4India continues with a landslide win for BJP in Arunachal Pradesh Panchayat election. BJP swept in Gram Sabhas. For Zilla Parishad Members,” Rijju wrote.

Among the 10 wards won by the BJP in the Itanagar civic body polls, five candidates were elected unopposed, a State Election Commission official said.

The Congress, which had won seven seats in the 2013 PMC elections, secured only two wards this time, and the party failed to open its account in the IMC polls.

The performance of the Janata Dal-United in the civic polls assumes significance as the party received a major jolt in Arunachal Pradesh on Friday, with six of its seven MLAs shifting allegiance to the BJP.

The JD (U), led by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, won seven of the 15 seats it contested in the 2019 Arunachal assembly elections and emerged as the second-largest party after the BJP, which had bagged 41 seats.

The PMC had 12 seats, while the IMC had 30 during the 2013 civic polls. However, the number of seats of both the urban local bodies was reduced after the delimitation of wards.

The Congress had won seven seats in the last PMC polls, the BJP bagged two and independent candidates emerged victorious in three.