Candidates coerced by BJP: APCC president Nabam Tuki

ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Nabam Tuki has alleged that the poor performance of the party in the Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) elections is due to ruling BJP's tactics to coerce the potential candidates of the Congress.

The Congress which got majority in the 2013 IMC elections by winning in 21 seats, failed to open its account in the December 22 urban local-body polls. The party, however, consolidated its position by securing two out of total eight seats in the Pasighat Municipal Council.

"The potential Congress candidates in the IMC elections were coerced by the ruling party," alleged Tuki. He, however, congratulated all the winners of the municipal and panchayat elections, results of which were declared on December 26.

The Congress had won ten Zila Parishad Member (ZPM) seats besides 388 Gram Panchayat Member (GPM) posts.

Tuki said that despite the Congress failing to match the ruling BJP in terms of resources, the Congress has won in several places, adding that all the winners of the party deserve to be congratulated.

The former Chief Minister also claimed that his party did not get enough time to prepare for the elections.

"The SEC gave only one month's time. The ruling BJP was already ready. They tried to get their candidates to win unopposed as much as possible. Also, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we could not put up candidates in many places," he pointed out.

Stating that local self-government should function properly, the APCC president said, "Grassroots democracy should be strengthened. Whoever has won should work sincerely for their people."

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