Cong set to win 3 Arunachal seats unopposed

Itanagar: The Congress is all set to capture three Assembly seats in Arunachal Pradesh without any contest.

Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu (Mukto), sitting MLA Tsewang Dhondup (Tawang) and debutant Jambey Tashi (Lumla) will be elected unopposed, provided they did not mess up their nomination papers for the October 13 elections.

Khandu has set an enviable record in the history of electoral politics in the state with his third unopposed victory. He was earlier sent to the Legislative Assembly elected unopposed in 1999 and 2004.

Altogether, 181 candidates are now left in the electoral battle in the state. However, the picture will be clear on September 29 as it is the last date of the withdrawal.

The ruling Congress is fielding 63 candidates (including three dummies) while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is contesting in 22 seats, followed by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) (39), Janata Dal (United) (JDU) (3) and Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA) contesting from 12 seats including 14 Independents.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, entering in Arunachal politics for the first time, will be fielding 28 candidates, including five former ministers and 10 sitting MLAs on the Trinamool Congress ticket.

When asked about the lesser number of candidates than expected, BJP General Secretary Tai Tagak said the party did not want to put up candidates just for the sake of filling up the numbers.

He said at least 10 would emerge as winners. Though the party is one of the front runners demanding representation of women in politics, the party did not field a single woman candidate.

Expectations in the NCP camp which has put up 39 candidates are high. The party expects at least 18 of its nominees to make it to the Assembly.

L Wanglet, former home minister and party chief, said that the political scenario would change this time with the coming of major political parties' to Arunachal for the first time.

The NCP party chief, who is not trying his electoral luck this time, did not rule out any post-poll arrangements with Congress, if it manages to come to power.

Though the big picture is yet to emerge, political parties are trying all tactics possible to ensure that power belongs to them. Scrutiny of papers will take place on Saturday while the last date for withdrawal is September 29.