ES Reporter 

Itanagar, Jun 2: The Bharatiya Janata Party has put out a stellar performance in the Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh by winning 46 out of 60 seats on Sunday and is set to make a strong comeback.
The Congress, which was the main political party in the state till 2016, has managed to win only one out of 19 seats it contested.
With 10 MLAs already elected uncontested, the mood in BJP was already upbeat.
Sunday’s results surpassed BJP’s tally in the 2019 Assembly elections, when it had bagged 41 seats. Four women candidates, all belonging to BJP, were elected as MLAs on Sunday.
Two other allies of BJP, National People’s Party (NPP) and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), came second and third by winning five and three seats, respectively. The NPP in 2019 had won in four.
The opposition People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) managed to better its 2019 tally, from one to two seats. Three Independent candidates were declared winners. The counting of votes for 50 Assembly seats began at 6am on Sunday with BJP leading in several seats from the beginning.
Speaking to the media at state BJP Office, Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed his gratitude to the people of Arunachal Pradesh for their continued support, attributing the BJP's success to the development efforts of his administration. "This is a historic day," Khandu remarked, highlighting the pro-incumbency sentiment among the electorate.
Celebrations erupted outside the BJP office in Itanagar as the victory became apparent. Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the people of Arunachal Pradesh in a post on X, stating, "Thank you Arunachal Pradesh! The people of this wonderful state have given an unequivocal mandate to the politics of development. My gratitude to them for reposing their faith in BJP yet again. Our Party will keep working with even greater vigour for the state's growth." He also commended the dedication of BJP workers during the election campaign.
Khandu announced that following the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections on June 4, all winning candidates and BJP leaders will convene in Itanagar. He expressed confidence in the BJP's prospects for the two Lok Sabha seats in the state, stating, "After the formalities of the party, we will stake our claim to form the new government."
Congress, which leveled corruption allegations against the Khandu government, however, struggled to put up candidates in all the seats. 
“By giving the mandate to BJP again, people of Arunachal Pradesh maintained the long trend of voting for the party in power at the Centre. At the same time, we must admit that we could not convince winnable candidates to fight the elections on our tickets. We announced the names of 34 candidates but many backed out and finally we could put up only 19 candidates,” said Nabam Tuki, former CM and senior Congress leader. Tuki, the only prominent face, is contesting the Lok Sabha polls against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat.
The Congress party humbly accepts the mandate of the people with a sense of responsibility. While the party may have lost the election, it has not lost its courage. Congress remains committed to working hard and continuing the fight for the rights of the people and the ideals of the country with unwavering responsibility’ he added in a press communique. 
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our party workers and leaders who worked tirelessly with sincerity and dedication on the ground, providing their best support and efforts throughout the election process.
We assure the people of Arunachal Pradesh that Congress will continue to advocate for their rights and work towards their welfare with renewed vigor, stated Tuki.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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