Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu has dropped two senior ministers Kumar Waii and Jarkar Gamlin from his cabinet.
While Waii was the minister for home, urban development, town planning etc, Gamlin was holding the portfolios of tourism, tax and excise and cultural affairs minister.
A gazette notification issued from the Governor’s office on Saturday said, “The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh under the provisions of Article 164 (I) of the Constitution of India and on the recommendations of chief minister Pema Khandu, do hereby withdraw my pleasure in respect of ministers Kumar Waii and Jarkar Gamlin with immediate effect from holding their respective ministerial portfolios. Accordingly, ministers Waii and Gamlin are dropped from the present Council of Ministers headed by chief minister Khandu with immediate effect.”
The notification added that, the portfolios, so fallen vacant, shall be held by the chief minister.
Both Waii and Gamlin had recently quit the Bharatiya Janata Party and joined the Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma-led National People’s Party along with six other sitting BJP MLAs following the party’s denial to give them a ticket to contest the ensuing assembly poll.
The party has given ticket to Goruk Pordung, replacing Waii from the Bameng seat, while Kento Jini has replaced Gamlin from the Along East seat.
Waii has been vocal in criticising chief minister Khandu for not giving him a ticket for the polls.
He alleged that Khandu had done this because he saw him as a contender for the chief minister’s post.
Election to the 60-member Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal will be held simultaneously on April 11.