GUWAHATI
Ahead of the simultaneous Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, two MLAs each from Congress and the National People’s Party (NPP) joined the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday.
The four legislators switched over to the saffron camp in the presence of Chief Minister Pema Khandu in the State’s capital Itanagar.
The MLAs are Ninong Ering and Wanglin Lowangdong of Congress, and Mutchu Mithi and Gokar Basar of the NPP.
Headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, the NPP is an ally of the BJP in Arunachal Pradesh.
“This [the joining] underlines the policies and performance of the BJP under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Mr. Khandu said.
The event was attended by Assam’s Irrigation Minister and the BJP’s election in-charge for Arunachal Pradesh, Ashok Singhal, and State party president Biyuram Wahge.
With Sunday’s joining, the strength of the BJP in the 60-member House increased to 53. The Congress and NPP have two MLAs each, while three are independents.
In the 2019 Assembly elections, the BJP won 41 seats, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) seven, the NPP five, the Congress four, and the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) one. Independent candidates won two seats.
All seven of the JD(U) legislators, and the PPA MLA, joined the BJP over the years.
