Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu stakes claim; swearing-in on Wednesday
Our Correspondent
Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday met Governor Brig (retd) Dr BD Mishra at Raj Bhavan here to stake claim to form the next government in the Himalayan State.
Khandu accompanied by Union Health Minister JP Nadda and others met the Governor and handed him a letter requesting him to invite Khandu to form the next BJP government in the State.
BJP general secretary Ram Madhab (in-charge of North East), State unit, party president Tapir Gao, North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor Himanta Biswa Sharma and Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein also accompanied Khandu to the Raj Bhavan.
Khandu while addressing the media, thanked the people of the State for reposing faith in the BJP and supporting the party to form the next government on its own.
“For the first time in the State’s political history, a full-fledged BJP government will be formed. I thanked the people for their support which helped the lotus to bloom in the State,” Khandu said and added that the swearing-in ceremony would be held at Dorjee Khandu Memorial Convention Centre here, on May 29.
“The real challenge for my government has started now as the people have lots of expectation from the new government to take the State to the zenith of development,” Khandu added in response to a media query.
Nadda along with Ram Madhab and Himanta Biswa Sharma arrived here in the morning to take part in the BJP legislature party meeting which was convened to elect the leader of the Assembly.
Talking to reporters at Raj Bhavan, Nadda informed that he was assigned as the observer by the party to oversee the process of electing the BJP legislature party leader. “After unanimous decision by the 41 party’s legislators, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein proposed the name of Khandu as the leader of the House which was seconded by three senior MLAs,” Nadda said. The senior BJP leader added that Khandu in writing requested the Governor to invite the party to form the next government and accordingly, Dr Mishra in a written letter asked the Chief Minister to form the government. The ruling BJP had also won both the Lok Sabha seats in the State this time.
The saffron party which won seven seats in the 2014 Assembly elections, this time increased its tally to 41, including three unopposed, while the Opposition Congress remained consolidated in four seats only against 42 it won in 2014. Janata Dal United (JDU) which had entered into the State’s political scene for the first time, won in seven seats followed by another new entrant the National Peoples’ Party (NPP) winning in five seats. The lone regional outfit – the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) which won five seats during 2014, could secure only one seat while two constituencies went to independents.
Also read: Arunachal news
