Arunachal CM, 43 MLAs Defect En Masse To PPA

Itanagar, Sep 15: In a shocker for Congress, all but one of its MLAs, including Chief Minister Pema Khandu, joined the People’s Party of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday leaving the party in a state of losing its government.

Khandu, who two months ago became chief minister in a development that restored the Congress government, along with 43 Congress MLAs joined the PPA and virtually converted it into a PPA government. The only MLA who has stayed with the Congress is Nabam Tuki, who was replaced as Chief Minister when the Congress, in an effort to control the rebellion in its ranks replaced him with Khandu in July.

It remains to be seen whether the PPA will align with BJP, which has 11 MLAs in the House. In the Assembly of 60, Congress had 47 MLAs, BJP 11 and two independent. Status of two Congress MLAs are yet to be decided as they put in their papers before the recent series of political developments that led to first Tuki government falling in January 2016, imposition of President’s rule and installation of the late Kalikho Pul government for a short span. Pul, a Congress MLA and had committed suicide last month, was forced to resign in July following a Supreme Court judgement.

--PTI