Pema Khandu is set to become the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the third consecutive term, according to BJP sources. Khandu was chosen as the BJP Legislature Party leader during a meeting held on Wednesday, which was attended by BJP central observers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Tarun Chugh. Khandu is expected to stake his claim to form the government later today, as per PTI.
Under Khandu’s leadership, the BJP secured a decisive victory in the Arunachal Pradesh assembly elections, winning 46 out of 60 seats. The National People’s Party (NPP) won five seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) secured three seats, the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) won two seats, Congress claimed one seat, and Independents won three seats.
Although the NPP has offered its support to the BJP government, it is unlikely to receive representation in the new Cabinet.
Pema Khandu first became Chief Minister in 2016, succeeding Nabam Tuki. Later that year, he led a group of Congress legislators to defect to the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), thus becoming the Chief Minister under the PPA banner. By December 2016, Khandu and his group rejoined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reaffirming his position as Chief Minister under BJP leadership.
Following the BJP’s landslide victory in the 2024 assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, Khandu hailed the results as a “historic day,” attributing the outcome to strong “pro-incumbency” sentiments among the electorate.
Who is Pema Khandu?
Pema Khandu hails from a distinguished political lineage in the Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. He received his early education in Tawang and continued his higher studies in New Delhi, where he enrolled at the renowned Hindu College. Pema Khandu’s foray into politics gained momentum following the tragic demise of his father, Dorjee Khandu, in a helicopter accident in 2011. Subsequently, he assumed office uncontested as a member of the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Mukto constituency, a position formerly occupied by his father.