Arunachal: National People’s Party firming up on pre-poll alliance with BJP

 OUR CORRESPONDENT

Itanagar: A month ahead of the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, the National People’s Party (NPP) has decided to enter into a pre-poll alliance with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the frontier state.

“As an ally under the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the NPP would like to work in tandem with the BJP for the growth and development of our state,” state unit NPP president Thangwang Wangham said in a statement after meeting state unit BJP president Biyuram Wahge here on Saturday. “We decided to continue with the alliance due to the tangible development the state has witnessed under the ruling party in the last seven years under Khandu’s leadership,” the three-time former lawmaker from Longding-Pumao assembly seat, said.

He reasoned that the NPP has always stood by the BJP-led state government under the leadership of chief minister Pema Khandu, through thick and thin, and inside and outside the assembly.

Wangham requested Wahge to accept the friendly gesture and also convey the message to chief minister Pema Khandu, the council of ministers, and the party high command of the NPP's decision to ally with the BJP, as already enshrined in the NEDA guidelines.

On Friday, the NPP decided to field 30 candidates for the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

The party also gave its nod to support the BJP government in the state, with Pema Khandu as the chief ministerial candidate.

The NPP, led by Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma, is an ally of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) and extends support to the Khandu government. On February 25, two NPP legislators out of four in the 60-member assembly, along with two Congress MLAs, joined the BJP.

Mutchu Mithi from Roing constituency and Gokar Basar from Basar constituency, both from the NPP, along with Congress MLAs Wanglin Lowangdong representing Borduria-Bogapani seat and Ninong Ering from Pasighat West, joined the saffron party. The ruling BJP in the state has 53 MLAs, followed by the Congress and the NPP with two each. There are also three independent members. In the 2019 elections, the NPP fielded 30 candidates, with five emerging victorious.

Also Read: National People’s Party (NPP) to field women candidates from both Lok Sabha seats in Meghalaya

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