OUR CORRESPONDENT
Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Nabam Tuki is all set to lock horns with union Earth Sciences and Food Processing Industries Minister Kiren Rijiju in the Arunachal West parliamentary constituency. Arunachal Pradesh will go for simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly polls in the first phase on April 19.
Tuki, who is a former chief minister of the state, currently holds the position of MLA from Sagalee constituency in the Papumpare district, having been elected for six consecutive terms.
The Congress party, on Thursday, announced Tuki's candidature along with Bosiram Siram, who is the APCC vice president.
Siram will be contesting from the Arunachal East Parliamentary seat, competing against BJP nominee Tapir Gao. Tuki had lost the 2019 electoral battle in the Arunachal West seat to Rijiju. He, however, won the Sagalee Assembly constituency that year.
The BJP won both Lok Sabha seats in the last elections. Rijiju won the Arunachal West Parliamentary seat by a margin of 1,74,843 votes, defeating his nearest rival Tuki, while Gao won the Arunachal East seat by a margin of 68,189 votes, defeating his nearest rival Wangman Lowangcha of Congress.
Tuki could only secure 50,953 votes against Rijiju, who polled 2,25,796 votes. Tuki, who is confident of winning this time, said that people want a change in the constituency.
"People want a change, and the public mood is changing against Rijiju. He is facing a strong anti-incumbency wave. People will decide it," Tuki said.
On his election issues, the senior Congress leader said that he would raise the voices of the people for social, political, and economic securities in the state.
"My focus will also be on employment generations and the five guarantees of Congress," he added.
Tuki exhorted the party leaders and workers to remain united and fight both the assembly and parliamentary elections in the northeastern state.
He said that the main agenda of Congress in this election would be on 'Yuva Nyay' (justice for youth) and focus on the other four guarantees or policies of the party.
In the 2019 assembly election, the BJP bagged 41 seats, the JD (U) won seven seats, the NPP won five seats, the Congress secured four seats, the PPA won one seat, and two independent candidates also won.
Arunachal Pradesh has two Lok Sabha seats and a 60-member assembly. The term of the present assembly ends on June 2.
The counting of votes for Assembly polls would be held on June 2 and for Lok Sabha polls on June 4, respectively.
The BJP has declared candidates for all the Assembly seats, while Congress has declared the names of 34 candidates, and the NCP so far declared 17 candidates to contest in the assembly polls.
Also Read: Arunachal: Nabam Tuki to Contest Arunachal West Parliamentary Seat
Also Watch: