BJP retains Arunachal with two-third majority, SKM landslide victory in Sikkim

Guwahati/Itanagar/Gangtok: The BJP on Sunday returned to power in Arunachal Pradesh for the third time in a row by winning 46 seats in the in the 60-member Assembly, while the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) registered a landslide victory by winning 31 seats in the 32-member Sikkim Assembly for a second term in office.

The counting in Arunachal Pradesh began with the BJP winning 10 seats unopposed. The National People's Party (NPP) won five seats, the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) won two, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Independents won three seats each, and the Congress won just one seat.

Prominent faces in Arunachal Pradesh included chief minister Pema Khandu and deputy chief minister Chowna Mein, both belonging to the BJP. They have already won the election unopposed.

For the 60-member Arunachal Assembly, the key contest was between the ruling BJP and the Congress. The BJP had fielded candidates in all 60 seats, while the Congress contested only 19 seats. The National People’s Party (NPP) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also fielded candidates in Arunachal Pradesh.

Arunachal Pradesh RWD minister Honchung Ngandam and Tourism Minister Nakap Nalo were among the 46 BJP candidates who have won the Assembly polls.

Tesam Pongte of the BJP won from Changlang North, defeating his nearest rival Dihom Kitnya of the NPP by a margin of 2,002 votes, while the party’s candidate Wangki Lowang won from Namsang seat, defeating his nearest rival Ngonglin Boi of NCP by 56 votes.

Balo Raja of the BJP won from Palin constituency, defeating his nearest rival Mayu Taring of the NPP by 5,040 votes.

Hayeng Mangfi of the BJP won from Chayang-Tajo seat, defeating his nearest rival Kompu Dolo of the Congress by a margin of 6,685 votes. Mangfi retained the seat.

Chakat Aboh of the BJP won from Khonsa West by defeating her nearest rival Yang Sen Matey of the NCP by 804 votes – retaining the seat.

BJP's Tsering Lhamu won from Lumla constituency defeating her nearest rival Jampa Thirnly Kunkhap of Congress by a margin of 1,531 votes. Lhamu retained the seat.

Puinnyo Apum of the BJP won from the Dambuk constituency, defeating his nearest rival, Raju Tayeng of the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA), by a margin of 222 votes.

BJP candidate Rode Bui won the Dumporijo seat, defeating his opponent Tabe Doni of the NPP by 1,591 votes. Mr Bui retained the seat.

Ealing Tallang of BJP won from Seppa East seat, defeating Tame Gyadi of Congress by 5,600 votes. BJP's Mahesh Chai won the Tezu-Sunpura seat defeating NPP candidate Karikho Kri by a margin of 2,805 votes.

Rotom Tebin of the BJP won from Raga constituency defeating Ajay Murtem of NPP by 2,934 votes. The NPP candidate Pesi Jilen won from Liromoba defeating his opponent Nyamar Karbak of BJP by a margin of 1,698 votes.

The key contest in Sikkim was between the ruling SKM and Pawan Kumar Chamling’s Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF). Opposition leader and SDF supremo Chamling has lost from both the seats he was contesting. The SDF has won only one seat -- Shyari, from where they fielded turncoat candidate Tenzing Norbu Lamtha.

The SKM fought the 2024 Assembly elections alone as the BJP decided to break the alliance with it.

Former football star Bhaichung Bhutia lost his sixth election since 2014, this time on an SDF ticket from the reserved Barfung constituency to Rishal Dorjee Bhutia of the SKM by 4,346 votes.

Sikkim Krantikari Morcha supremo Prem Singh Tamang on Sunday gave credit for the party’s landslide victory in the Assembly election in the state to the hard work of the SKM cadre and the trust of the people in his government.

After the landslide win, Mr Tamang, who is also the chief minister, congratulated party supporters and the voters of Sikkim. “It is because of the love and trust of the people which we have managed to secure in the past five years in government. Besides, the party cadres worked very hard. Now we have the next five years to give our 100 per cent for the people of Sikkim,” he said at a gathering in Paljor Stadium in Gangtok.

Mr Tamang won from both Rhenock and Soreng-Chakung constituencies that he contested.

In 2019, the SKM had won 17 seats and unseated the Sikkim Democratic Front party (SDF), which ruled the state for 25 years in a row.

The BJP and the Congress had fielded candidates for the elections in the northeastern state.

The SKM and SDF fielded 32 candidates each, while the BJP had 31 candidates. The Congress contested in 12 seats, and the Citizen Action Party-Sikkim had candidates in 30 seats.

In 2019, the SKM, led by Prem Singh Tamang, won 17 seats, while SDF secured 15 seats.