OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Ahead of the April 19 assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made a resounding entry by securing ten seats uncontested, marking a formidable start to their electoral campaign.
Among the prominent figures securing their positions unopposed are Chief Minister Pema Khandu and his deputy Chowna Mein, an election official informed on Saturday.
Khandu and nine others were declared unopposed following the closure of the nomination withdrawal period, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain told reporters.
Khandu was the only person to file nomination from Mukto assembly constituency in Tawang district, while Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein won the seat uncontested after his lone rival Bayamso Kri of the Congress withdrew his papers on Saturday, the official said.
“Single nomination was filed in six assembly constituencies while in the other four, opposition candidates withdrew their papers,” he said.
Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh will be held along with Lok Sabha polls. Voting for the 60-member assembly and two Lok Sabha constituencies - Arunachal West and Arunachal East - will be held on April 19.
Fourteen candidates will also try their luck for the two Lok Sabha seats in the northeastern state. This will be Khandu’s fourth tenure as MLA from the seat.
The constituency is a stronghold for Khandu, who won the seat uncontested in the by-election held in 2010 as a Congress nominee following the demise of his father, former Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu in a tragic helicopter crash.
The chief minister also won from the seat in the 2014 and 2019 assembly elections defeating his nearest rivals by a large margin.
The other candidates who won their seat uncontested include, Jikke Tako from Tali, Nyato Dukom from Taliha, Mutchu Mithi from Roing, Dasanglu Pul from Hayuliang, Dongru Siongju for Bomdila and first timers Ratu Techi from Sagalee and Hage Appa from Ziro-Hapoli constituencies respectively.
BJP nominee Techi Kaso won the vital Itanagar constituency unopposed, after the National People’s Party (NPP) candidate Tai Tadap’s nomination was found invalid.
The deputy chief minister, who won the Chowkham seat in 2019 by a huge margin, was re-elected from the constituency unopposed.
Mein, a seasoned politician, who previously represented the Lekang constituency consecutively since 1995, had to abandon the seat in 2019, amidst public outcry over the PRC issue, which witnessed several incidents of arson in the northeastern state.
In the 2019 assembly polls, three BJP nominees also elected uncontested including, Education Minister Taba Tedir from Yachuli constituency, Kento Jini (Aalo East) and Phurpa Tsering from Dirang constituency respectively.
All the three are re-seeking elections from their respective constituencies this time.
The counting of votes for the Assembly polls will take place on June 2, while the Lok Sabha election results will be declared on June 4.
Also Read: Arunachal Pradesh: BJP to bank on star-studded election campaign (sentinelassam.com)
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