Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu feeding sweets to BJP’s state-in-charge Ashok Singhal after the party’s victory in the Assembly elections. (Photo: Pema Khandu/ X)
Written by Bengia Ajum
Once again the BJP has won the Himalayan state of Arunachal Pradesh with a landslide majority. The saffron party won 46 seats and has performed better than in the previous election. The other winners include National People’s party (NPP) at 5, People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) 2, NCP (Ajit Pawar) 3, INC 1, and independents 3.
In the 2019 assembly elections, the BJP had won 41 seats. The Janata Dal (United) had bagged 7, the National People’s Party (NPP) 5, Congress 4, and the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) 1. Two independents had also won. This time the BJP won 10 uncontested seats, including those of Chief Minister Pema Khandu and Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein.
Several factors contributed to this landslide victory. First and foremost, the people of Arunachal always vote for parties in power in Delhi. Second, the opposition, in particular the Congress, crumbled and struggled to put up candidates in all 60 seats.
Even though the BJP won comfortably, many heavyweights lost the election. Most notable is education minister Taba Tedir who lost the Yachuli assembly constituency to Toko Tatung of NCP (Ajit Pawar). Another big name to lose election is Nyamar Karbak, who was defeated by Pesi Jilen of NPP from Liromoba constituency. Karbak is considered to be a close confidant of CM Khandu. Three time MLA Kumsi Sidisow and two time MLA Kaling Moyong also lost the elections. Tedir and Moyong were said to be Sangh’s candidates.
One of the senior politicians of the state and once a Congress heavyweight Lombo Tayeng, who switched to BJP just before the assembly election, has also lost. Oken Tayeng defeated him from the People’s Party of Arunachal, the state’s lone regional party.
Another big outcome of the election is the re-election of former home minister Kumar Waii. He won the election on a Congress ticket and is the lone MLA of the grand old party. Waii was formerly with the BJP and was home minister, but was denied a party ticket in 2019. He fought the election on the NPP ticket and lost to Goruk Pordung of the BJP. There is an intense personal rivalry between Waii and CM Pema Khandu. His return to the state assembly is fascinating and has caught the imagination of those who bitterly oppose the BJP and CM Khandu.
One more notable winner is Thangwang Wangham who is the state president of the National People’s Party (NPP). Wangham, a four-time MLA, lost the election in 2019. But this time he made a strong comeback by defeating the BJP candidate Tanpho Wangnaw.
This election also witnessed, for the first time, an attempt to polarise elections based on religious basis. The Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF), a powerful Christian organisation comprising various church denominations, openly urged believers to vote against the BJP. Arunachal Pradesh is a tribal state and the religious card is never played during elections. People usually identify themselves through tribe and clan. But this is the first time ACF tried to breach it and used a religious card. But, going by the result, it did not seem to find many takers.
With the BJP getting a clear majority, the deck is clear for Khandu to return as Chief Minister for the third time. A former Congressman, whose father late Dorjee Khandu was also Congress CM, Khandu was elected as CM for the first time in 2016 from Congress. Later he shifted allegiance to BJP and was re-elected as CM in 2019. Khandu is considered to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. It will be interesting to see what will be the shape of the new state cabinet. Sitting ministers Taba Tedir lost the election while Bamang Felix and Tage Taki were denied BJP tickets due to which they did not contest. There will be intense lobbying for the cabinet berths in the coming days.
Even though RSS and its affiliate organisations usually maintain a low profile, in the past, they also have been known to exert pressure to place their candidates in the cabinet. The state BJP leadership will have to work hard to find the balance while selecting a new cabinet. People will be keenly watching to see how power is balanced between two powerful BJP leaders — CM Khandu and his deputy Chowna Mein. Both yield immense influence and people believe there are two camps in the state BJP. The saffron party will have to find ways to balance power and keep both leaders happy.
One more factor that will play an important role in deciding the government formation in the state will be the outcome of the Lok Sabha election. Two MPs are from Arunachal Pradesh. Union earth science minister Kiren Rijiju is seeking re-election from the Arunachal West parliamentary constituency while senior leader and sitting MP Tapir Gao is contesting from the eastern parliamentary constituency. Even though the exit polls say both seats will be won by the BJP, until the result is officially out, nothing can be taken for granted. Rijiju is fighting a tough battle against former CM and present state Congress chief Nabam Tuki. As a senior member of the BJP, Rijiju will also have a say in the state cabinet formation.
The writer is a journalist based in Itanagar