JD(S) eyes Northeast; Apang joins party

Former Arunachal Pradesh chief minister and veteran politician Gegong Apang, who recently quit the BJP, joined the JD(S) on Thursday.

He was subsequently appointed the party's Northeast in-charge.

Apang, who served as Arunachal Pradesh's chief minister for 23 years including 19 years in the Congress, had joined the BJP in 2014 but quit the saffron party on January 16.

He claimed that the BJP's central leadership was not giving importance to its leaders in the state.

Following this, the JD (S), a UPA constituent, announced that the party would field candidates in all the 40 seats of Arunachal Pradesh Assembly and two Lok Sabha seats from the state— the two elections will be conducted simultaneously.

The development comes days before a meeting of UPA constituents in Guwahati, where Congress president Rahul Gandhi will address a rally.

Apang said that he decided to join the JD(S) as it was a secular party.

The JD(S) leader and former prime minister H D Deve Gowda visited Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on Wednesday, during which Apang met him and held a discussion about the party's strategy for the upcoming polls.

A JD(S) leader in Guwahati, who was present in the meeting, said that Apang could help the party expand in Arunachal Pradesh and the rest of Northeast ahead of the elections.

"We were looking for a senior leader and a popular face to lead our party in the region and we are confident that Apang will fulfil that need," he said.

Currently, the BJP leads a coalition government in Arunachal Pradesh.

In 2014, the saffron party had won eight of the 24 Lok Sabha seats in the Northeast— seven in Assam and one in Arunachal Pradesh (Kiren Rijiju).

The party is eyeing at least 20 seats in the region this time but the strong protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill has cast a shadow on its target.