The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced the final list of its candidates for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Arunachal Pradesh.
Among the prominent names to make to the list was that of sitting MP and union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju and BJP state president Tapir Gao, who would be contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the West and East parliamentary constituencies, respectively.
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The final listing of the Assembly elections saw Assembly Speaker TN Thongdok and RWD Minister Bamang Felix make it to the list while the names of forest and environment minister Nabam Rebia and sitting MLAs Techi Kaso (Itanagar) and Olom Panyang (Mariyang-Geku) was left out by the BJP.
The BJP had recently released the names of 54 candidates in as many seats. Former legislator Kipa Babu would be replacing Kaso for the Itanagar seat while BJP president for Papum Pare district Tani Hali Tara would contest from Rebia’s constituency for the BJP. The party has fielded Anong Perme in place of sitting legislator Panyang.
Kaso has, meanwhile, joined the Janata Dal United (JDU). The JDU which is contesting the elections for the first time in Arunachal Pradesh also released its second list of eight candidates for the Assembly polls. The party had on Wednesday announced the names of five candidates. Besides Kaso, the party has also fielded sitting BJP MLA Dikto Yekar from the Daporijo constituency.
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Six new faces were included in JDU’s second list. Meanwhile, after being denied a party ticket by the Republican Party of India (A) (RPI-A), Mongol Yomso, the state unit president of the party joined the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) on Friday. He would now be contesting the Lok Sabha elections for PPA.
Yomso told reporters at the press club here that his ticket was cancelled by the RPI-A due to technical reasons and it didn’t “make sense to remain with the party”. He said PPA is a clean party and its members have a positive ideology. Yomso was declared the MP contender for the East parliamentary constituency by RPI-A president Ramdas Athawale in January this year.
PPA president Khafa Bengia informed that his party has so far declared the first list of nine candidates for the Assembly elections. “The party will be announcing the second list before the final date of nomination,” he said. The National People’s Party also announced its second list with four names for the Assembly election. For Lok Sabha, the party has fielded Kyoda Apik, a cardamom farmer by profession and religious activist for the West parliamentary seat. Party president G Kabak in a statement said that it would not contest for the East parliamentary seat. The Opposition Congress is yet to announce the names of its candidates
Meanwhile, a sitting MP and several sitting MLAs and aspirants have filed their nomination papers. Among the prominent names was that of Kiren Rijiju and Tapir Gao who filed their nominations for West and East parliamentary constituencies, BJP legislators, Nyamar Karbak, Tumke Bagra, Tage Taki, Kumsi Sidisow, Japu Deru, Phurpa Tsering, TN Thongdok, Jambey Tashi, Tsering Tashi and JDS candidate and former chief minister Gegong Apang.
Assembly polls in the state will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections on April 11 next.