Gegong Apang floats new political outfit, to contest Arunachal Assembly polls

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ITANAGAR: Former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Gegong Apang has floated a new regional party with the nomenclature Arunachal Democratic Party (ADP), which will contest the Assembly polls in the state, due next year. The new party was formally launched here on Monday.

Apang, a political stalwart of the state, informed that the launching permission was granted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) after the party had submitted an application to the ECI on May 15 this year. “The main agenda of the formation of ADP is for the welfare of the state, by playing a pivotal role in this regard. Root out corruption from the state and provide ample employment opportunities for the youth and streamlining the law-and-order problem,” he said.

The former chief minister promised to bring the state under 6th Schedule, which is the long-pending demand of the people of the state, if the party is elected in the 2024 assembly elections. The party is planning to contest in all the 60 assembly seats in the state.

“The high command system has looted our state. I have had the worst experiences with this system,” Apang said while expressing his desire to break free from the conventional politics of dependence on national parties for developmental funds.

Amid the challenges posed by corruption prevalent in the state’s governance, Apang emphasized the ADP’s focus on nurturing the younger generation and driving the state’s growth. While a comprehensive party manifesto would soon be unveiled to the public, Apang hinted at a priority to work on statehood Article 371(H) of the Indian Constitution which he said would unlock the state’s abundant resources and promote self-reliance.

Highlighting the reasons why the party was formed, he alleged that the state has recently seen “misuse” of law-and-order enforcement by the state government, which “resulted in escalation of law-and-order problem in the state”.

Apang also alleged the state government of failing to provide basic and adequate education facilities, which, he said, led the youths into becoming a nuisance for the society. “Hence, the need of a new regional political party was felt in order to look into these issues and to solve the same. We do not need the central government to develop the state,” he added.

“ADP will be a strong and vibrant regional party with the vision to create a ‘new’ Arunachal Pradesh,” Apang said and appealed to the people, particularly the youths, to support and join the party, in order to bring ‘revolutionary changes’ in the political demography and development of the state.

Apang has served as the third chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh for seven terms from January 18, 1980 to January 19, 1999 and again from August 2003 to April 2007. He is a member of the Janata Dal (Secular) and was a member of the Indian National Congress before 2016. He is the longest serving chief minister of the north-eastern state and also the fourth longest serving chief minister in the country after Pawan Kumar Chamling of Sikkim, Jyoti Basu of West Bengal and Naveen Patnaik of Odisha.

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