Amid preparations for the upcoming Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, prominent Congress legislature party leader Lombo Tayeng made a significant political move by joining the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-BJP on Monday.
Congress had secured four seats in the 60-member Assembly during the 2019 elections. With Tayeng’s defection, the Grand Old Party is now left with only one MLA, former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki. Last week, two other Congress MLAs, Ninong Ering and Wanglin Lowangdong, as well as two lawmakers from the National People’s Party, Mutchu Mithi and Gokar Basar, also switched to the BJP.
In addition to Tayeng, Chakat Aboh, an Independent MLA representing Khonsa West in Tirap district, joined the BJP at the party’s State headquarters in Itanagar. Aboh’s decision comes after she won the Khonsa West seat in a by-election following the assassination of her husband Tirong Aboh by suspected NSCN militants ahead of the 2019 Assembly election results. He was a nominee of the NPP.
Both Tayeng and Aboh expressed their confidence in the leadership of Chief Minister Pema Khandu as they embraced the BJP.
Tayeng, a six-term legislator from Mebo in East Siang district, had previously served as a minister in the Congress Government.
With the addition of Tayeng and Aboh, the BJP’s strength in the Assembly now stands at 55 seats, consolidating its position as the dominant political force in the State. The NPP holds two seats, while there are two Independent members, alongside the lone Congress representative.
