Landslide Victory For BJP In State Assembly Polls

Itanagar: The BJP has comfortably crossed the 31-seat mark in Arunachal Pradesh to claim the simple majority in the 60-member Assembly, while its rival Congress has bagged just four seats so far, the results made available by the Election Commission showed.

Counting of votes is still underway for two Assembly constituencies in the State. For the first time, the BJP will form a government in the Himalayan State with the support of its own MLAs.

The saffron party has clinched 40 Assembly seats, including three unopposed.

The JD (U), which made its maiden entry into the electoral scene of Arunachal Pradesh, won seven seats so far, while another debutant National People’s Party (NPP) secured four seats.

The lone regional outfit, the Peoples’ Party of Arunachal (PPA), bagged a single seat, while two Independents clinched one seat each.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu in a Facebook update said, “Will stand up to expectations of the people of the State. Good news is that we now have our own team of elected BJP members in the Assembly, our own team – the first elected BJP government in Arunachal. With ‘double engine sarkar’ – Modi govt in the centre and Pema government in Arunachal, its good days ahead!”

Among the prominent BJP winners are Khandu, who won the election from the Mukto seat, bordering China, for the third time in a row, and his deputy Chowna Mein, who bagged the Chowkham constituency.

In Miao constituency, State Geology and Mining Minister and BJP nominee Kamlung Mossang beat Chatu Longai of the Congress by 3,856 votes to retain the seat.

Another State minister Honchun Ngandam, who was seeking re-election from Pongchau-Wakka seat, defeated his nearest rival, Thangkai Khusumchai of the Congress, by a margin of 3,788 votes.

The Namsang seat, which witnessed a multi-cornered contest, voted in favour of PHE minister and BJP nominee Wangki Lowang for the third time in a row.

In the prestigious Tawang seat, BJP candidate Tsering Tashi trounced veteran Congress leader Thupten Tempa by a margin of 3,592 votes.

The saffron party, however, faced major setbacks in two key constituencies.

While power minister and BJP candidate Tamiyo Taga tasted defeat at the hands of newcomer Talem Taboh of the JD (U) in Rumgong, Assembly Speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok, who represented the Kalaktang constituency for two terms, failed to wrest the seat from JD(U) greenhorn Dorjee Wangdi Kharma.

Also Read: ARUNACHAL NEWS