Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday launched the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) campaign for the upcoming panchayat elections in Tawang, urging voters to strengthen grassroots democracy by supporting candidates committed to development and accountability.

Addressing a large rally, Khandu noted the active participation of party workers, leaders, and youth, who opened the event with chants of ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. He highlighted the BJP’s governance at the central, state, and local levels as an opportunity to shape the state’s future and called for unified support for the party’s nominees.

The panchayat and municipal elections in Itanagar and Pasighat are scheduled for December 15. The polls cover 27 zilla parishads with 245 constituencies and 2,103 gram panchayats comprising 8,181 constituencies. In municipal areas, the Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) has 20 wards, while Pasighat Municipal Council (PMC) has eight. A total of 831,648 voters—759,210 for panchayat bodies and 72,438 for municipal bodies—will cast their votes across 2,171 polling stations for panchayats, 67 for IMC, and 12 for PMC.

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) will be used for municipal polls, while ballot boxes will be used for panchayat elections. Vote counting is scheduled for December 20.