The National People’s Party (NPP) on March 23 announced its list of candidates for the Arunachal Pradesh assembly elections, which will be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections on April 19.
Among the key contenders, NPP state unit president and former minister Thangwang Wangham will contest for Longding-Pumao seat, ex-minister Japu Deru for Bomdila, and former MLAs Tani Loffa and Dikto Yekar will contest from the Seppa West and Daporijo constituencies, respectively.
Notably, three sitting MLAs, including two BJP legislators, Dorjee Wangdi Karma and Gokar Basar, who were denied tickets from the saffron party, and independent MLA Karikho Kri, will be vying for Kalaktang, Basar, and Tezu assembly seats, respectively, on NPP tickets.
As proposed by the state election committee, the central election committee (CEC) of the NPP finalized the candidates for the Arunachal Pradesh assembly polls after consultation with the party’s national president and Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma, the NPP national general secretary (organization) and CEC chairman James Sangma, while declaring the names of the candidates in a press conference in Itanagar on March 23.
The party expressed optimism for a good show in the polls considering its rapid growth, positioning it among the fastest-growing political parties in the country alongside the BJP, the Congress, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
In the 2019 assembly polls, the NPP secured five seats in Arunachal Pradesh.
NPP will not be fielding candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh and will support the BJP nominees, while citing that the NPP is an ally of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre.
