NPP announces first list of 29 candidates for Arunachal polls

Itanagar, Mar 23   In view of the fast approaching general elections, the Mukul Sangma-led National People’s Party (NPP) unveiled the first list of its 29 candidates for the April 19 Assembly polls in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday.
Among the key contenders, NPP State Unit President and former minister Thangwang Wangham will contest for the 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 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 here on Saturday.
He expressed optimism for the NPP’s good show in the coming 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.
In the 2019 assembly polls, the NPP secured five seats in Arunachal Pradesh.
It may be mentioned that the NPP national president has already announced that the party will not field its candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh but will support the BJP nominees, while citing that the NPP is an ally of the BJP-led NDA at the Centre.
Polling will be held in the two parliamentary seats in Arunachal in the first phase on April 19, along with the elections to the 60-member State Assembly. The counting of votes for the Assembly polls will take place on June 2, two days ahead of the declaration of the Lok Sabha poll results.