Itanagar: The ruling Congress on Thursday
stormed back to power with a two-third majority winning 42 of
the 60 seats in Arunachal Pradesh assembly while UPA allies
Trinamool Congress and NCP emerged victorious in five
constituencies each and BJP two.
Of the 42 seats won by Congress, Chief Minister Dorjee
Khandu and two others were elected unopposed. The party had
contested all the seats.
Trinamool Congress, which contested the elections for
the first time in the state, and other UPA ally NCP, won five
seats each. Trinamool had contested 26 seats, NCP 36 and
opposition BJP 18 seats.
The Congress, however, received a setback as seven-
time MLA and former chief minister Gegong Apang and his son
Omak lost to their NCP and BJP rivals respectively.
Khandu and APCC chief Nabam Tuki, elected from Sagalee
seat, told reporters that the CLP leader would be chosen
tomorrow or the day after in the presence of AICC observers
being sent by party president Sonia Gandhi.
Asked if he would be willing to lead the CLP once
again, Khandu said "as a Congress worker whatever task is
given to me by the legislators and the Congress chief will be
carried out by me."
Asked why some Congress stalwarts were defeated, Tuki
said "we will find the reasons. Maybe they lost because some
partymen contested on the tickets of other parties.
"We told you Congress will win 40 plus seats and the
results are as we expected," Tuki said.
Prominent winners included Home Minister Jarbom
Gamlin, Industries Minister Tanga Byalin, Finance Minister
Kaliko Pul, Water Resources Development Minister Tako Dabi and
Food and Civil Supplies Minister C C Singpho, Rural Works
Minister Chowna Mein, PWD Minister Nabam Tuki and Environment
Minister Newlei Tingkhatra.
On the other hand, Public Health Engineering Minister
Lombo Tayeng, Education Minister Tatar Kipa from Nyapin and
Tsering Gyurmi, a close confidante of Khandu tasted defeat.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, October 22, 2009, 20:17