Monday, May 6

Congress’ Nabam Tuki Hopes To Win Over Union Minister Kiren Rijiju From Arunachal West

Edited by Fathimathu Shana

The former Chief Minister and current president of Arunachal Pradesh Congress, Nabam Tuki hopes to win back the glory in this election from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kiren Rijiju, who has served the Arunachal West constituency thrice since 2004.

On winning the seat, Tuki said, “People want a change and public mood is changing against Rijiju. He is facing a strong anti-incumbency wave”. He said his focus will be on an “employment generation”. Tuki is the main rival of Rijiju who won the previous two Lok Sabah election. In the 2019 election, Rijiju won against Tuki over a landslide majority.

Nabam Tuki is the sitting MLA of the Sagalee constituency in Papumpare district. He has served as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh twice. While his first term as the Chief Minister spanned five years, from 2011 to 2016, his second term lasted for merely three days in July 2016. He resigned his position and Pema Khandu of his party, the Indian National Congress, took over the position.

Before that, in February 2016, Tuki and his ministers were dismissed by the Governor of the state a day after President’s rule was imposed on the state, after the political instability in the state. The then governor of the state, Jyoti Prashad Rajkhowa, in a memorandum said that the move is done under the notification made by the President of the state, Pranab Mukherjee, to bring the state under the central rule.

However, Nabam Tuki is confident that he will win the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha election from Arunachal West.