‘Investment risk’ behind uncontested wins in Arunachal Pradesh

Five Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates, including Chief Minister Pema Khandu, are expected to win unopposed as they were the sole candidates in their respective constituencies after March 27, the last date for filing nominations.

GUWAHATI The fear of not recovering the “investment” for a berth in the 60-member Assembly is believed to be the primary reason behind candidates winning uncontested in Arunachal Pradesh.

Five Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates, including Chief Minister Pema Khandu, are expected to win unopposed as they were the sole candidates in their respective constituencies after March 27, the last date for filing nominations.

“We have received nominations from only one candidate in five Assembly constituencies. The outcome will be official after March 30, the last date of withdrawal of nominations,” State’s Joint Chief Electoral Officer Liken Koyu said.

The Chief Minister is the only candidate from the Mukto Assembly seat in the Tawang district. The case is similar for retired engineer Techi Rotu from Sagalee in Papum Pare, Jikke Tako from Tali in Kra-Daadi, Nyato Dukam from Taliha in Upper Subansiri, and Mutchu Mithi from Roing in the Lower Dibang Valley district.

Mr. Mithi, who won the Roing seat as a National People’s Party candidate in 2019, switched over to the BJP in February.

Mr. Khandu won the Mukto seat, which his father Dorjee Khandu once held, uncontested twice before as a Congress candidate. The first was in the by-election in 2011 after his father died in a helicopter crash and the second was in 2014.

In his first election as a BJP candidate in 2019, he defeated Thupten Kunphen of the Congress by securing 70.74% of the total votes polled in Mukto.