Ahead of the forthcoming assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, which are scheduled to coincide with the Lok Sabha polls later this year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled its roster of 60 candidates. Among them, Chief Minister Pema Khandu is slated to contest from his constituency of Mukto, which is reserved for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Tribes (ST) category. Mukto is one of three constituencies nestled within the Tawang district.
The BJP has opted to maintain the majority of its incumbent MLAs, such as Tsering Lhamu, Phurpa Tsering, Kumsi Sidisow, and others, in its candidate lineup. This decision follows a meeting of the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) chaired by party president JP Nadda earlier this week.
The upcoming Arunachal Pradesh assembly elections, synchronized with the Lok Sabha polls slated for April-May this year, carry significant political weight. In the previous 2019 state assembly elections, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) clinched victory in 57 out of the 60 legislative assembly seats.
Simultaneously, the BJP has also unveiled its initial list of 195 candidates for the impending Lok Sabha elections, featuring notable figures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and others. Notably, 34 candidates hail from ministerial positions across the Center and States, while two former chief ministers are also on the list.
In the 2019 general elections, the BJP-led NDA secured a commanding victory with a total of 303 seats, positioning itself well ahead of its political rivals.