BJP wins 41 Arunachal Assembly seats

Itanagar, May 25

The BJP has won 41 seats in the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Assembly after results of all the constituencies were announced, an election official said on Saturday.

Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh were held for 57 seats as three BJP candidates were earlier declared elected unopposed. The Janata Dal (United) won seven seats, National People’s Party (NPP) five, Congress four, People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) one and Independents two. The counting of votes on Friday for Daporijo, Dumporijo and Raga constituencies in Upper Subansiri district was delayed, the official said.

In the Daporijo seat, the result of which was announced early this morning, BJP candidate Taniky Soki won the seat defeating his nearest Congress rival Togam Tamim.

BJP candidate Rode Bui bagged the Dumporijo seat defeating his nearest NPP rival Paknga Bage while NPP’s Tarin Dakpe won the Raga seat, the official said.

The counting of votes on Friday for Daporijo, Dumporijo and Raga constituencies in Upper Subansiri district was delayed as the counting officials went away from the counting centre without handing over the results for which counting could not be continued as per the guidelines.

However, it started after the polling officials returned and handed over the results, Additional Chief Electoral Officer Kanki Darang said. Among the prominent BJP winners are Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who won from the Mukto seat for the third time in a row. Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein won from the Chowkham constituency.

In Miao constituency, state Geology and Mining Minister and BJP nominee Kamlung Mossang beat Chatu Longai of the Congress by 3,856 votes to retain the seat. The Namsang seat, which witnessed a multi-cornered contest, voted in favour of PHE minister and BJP nominee Wangki Lowang for the third time in a row.

In the prestigious Tawang seat, BJP candidate Tsering Tashi trounced veteran Congress leader Thupten Tempa by a margin of 3,592 votes. The Congress won four seats but Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Takam Sanjoy lost to Jummum Ete Deori of the BJP in the Lekang seat. — PTI

SKM stakes claim to form govt IN SIKKIM

• A Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) delegation led by its chief PS Golay on Saturday called on Governor Ganga Prasad and staked claim to form the next government in the state. The SKM leaders, however, were tight-lipped about the name of their legislative party chief

• The SKM, founded in 2013, won a slender majority in the 32-member Legislative Assembly by bagging 17 seats against 15 won by the SDF

• SKM sources said its legislature party has authorised Golay to decide on the CM’s name. Though Golay did not contest, the party rank and file want him to become the CM, they said