In the forthcoming Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections, it appears that seven BJP candidates, including the incumbent Chief Minister Pema Khandu, are poised to secure victory without facing any opposition, according to election authorities. The scrutiny of nominations for the 58 Assembly constituencies was concluded on Thursday, with the remaining two constituencies undergoing the process on Friday.
Following a thorough examination of the candidatures, it has been observed that there are no rival contenders against the BJP nominees in seven constituencies. As a result, they are anticipated to be declared elected unopposed on Saturday, subsequent to the deadline for withdrawal of nominations, as confirmed by an election official.
Apart from Chief Minister Khandu, who is vying for re-election from his traditional stronghold in Mukto, Tawang, the other six BJP candidates expected to clinch uncontested victories are Techi Ratu (Sagalee), Hage Appa (Ziro-Hapoli), Jikke Tako (Tali), Nyato Dukam (Taliha), Mutchu Mithi (Roing), and Techi Kaso (Itanagar).
Following the completion of scrutiny, a total of 174 candidates are contesting in the April 19 elections for the 60-member Assembly. These candidates represent various political parties, including 62 from the ruling BJP (including two substitutes), 24 from the Congress, 16 from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), 24 from the National People’s Party (NPP), 13 from the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), four from the Arunachal Democratic Party (ADP), in addition to candidates from other local parties and independents.
Simultaneously, elections for the state's two Lok Sabha seats – Arunachal West and Arunachal East – are slated for April 19, coinciding with the first phase of the seven-phase parliamentary elections.
Following the scrutiny of nomination papers on Thursday, a total of 14 nominations were deemed valid for the two Lok Sabha seats. Notably, eight candidates, including Union Minister and BJP nominee Kiren Rijiju and state Congress President Nabam Tuki, are contesting from Arunachal West, while six candidates, including BJP’s incumbent MP Tapir Gao and Congress’ Bosiram Siram, are competing for Arunachal East.
Former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, who has a rich political legacy spanning 30 years as an MLA from Sagalee, has opted to contest the parliamentary elections this time.
In the 2019 Assembly polls, the BJP emerged victorious in 41 seats. Subsequently, seven MLAs from other parties joined the BJP.
The counting of votes for the Assembly polls is scheduled for June 2, while that for the Lok Sabha seats will take place on June 4.
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