First elected BJP govt in Arunachal Pradesh takes oath

The BJP formed its first elected government in Arunachal Pradesh with chief minister Pema Khandu and 11 of his cabinet colleagues took oath on Wednesday.

Governor B D Mishra administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new cabinet at the Dorjee Khandu State Convention Centre in Itanagar at 12.30pm.

Khandu had formed the BJP government in 2016 after he along with several MLAs left Congress for People's Party of Arunachal and then to BJP.

Pema, now 39, a graduate in History from Delhi's prestigious Hindu College became first a minister in Congress cabinet in 2011 soon after his father and chief minister Dorjee Khandu had died in a helicopter crash.

With assets worth Rs. 136 crore, Pema Khandu is the richest MLA in the frontier state. A total of 56 MLAs (93%) possess assets worth over one crore.

Eleven others who took oath as new ministers are Chowna Mein (deputy chief minister), Wangki Lowang, Tage Taki, Tumke Bagra, Bamang Felix, Mama Natung, Nakap Nalo, Honchun Ngandam, Alo Libang, Kamlung Mossang and Taba Tedir. Portfolios of the 10 ministers will be allocated soon.

The BJP won 41 of the total 60 Assembly seats and Nitish Kumar's JD (U) came second with seven seats. The National People's Party won five while the Congress ended fourth with four seats only. The Congress had won 35 seats in 2014 Assembly elections.

Instability has been part of politics in the frontier state but deputy chief minister Chowna Mein assured that the new BJP government would be a stable one. "This is a historic day as the first elected government of BJP took oath today. Now the state will have stable government and more development," he said before taking the oath.

BJP candidates--Kiren Rijiju and Tapir Gao won both the Lok Sabha seats.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb, Nagaland chief minister Neiphieu Rio, Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, BJP general secretary Ram Madhab, Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, among others attended the ceremony.