Pema Khandu will take oath as CM of Arunachal today, Shah-Nadda will be present

Arunachal Pradesh New CM: Pema Khandu will become the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the third consecutive term. He will take oath as CM at Raj Bhavan at 11 am today. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and JP Nadda have reached Itanagar to attend his swearing-in ceremony. Khandu was elected the leader of the BJP Legislature Party in a meeting here on Wednesday. BJP's central observers - Ravi Shankar Prasad and Tarun Chugh attended this meeting. According to sources, Khandu will later stake claim to form the government.

How many seats did the BJP win?

The ruling BJP won 46 seats in the 60-member assembly, while the NPP won 5, NCP three, People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) won two seats. At the same time, Congress won one seat and independent candidates won three seats. BJP has won both the Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh. Let us tell you that the Lok Sabha elections were held here on April 19 along with the assembly elections in the state.

Know about Pema Khandu

Sports and music enthusiast Pema Khandu has emerged as a big leader in Arunachal Pradesh in the last few years, especially after the constitutional crisis that arose in 2016 due to which President's rule had to be imposed in the state. Khandu has also been successful in building his image as a skilled election strategist. Thanks to his strategy, he has again made the lotus (BJP's election symbol) bloom in this northeastern state. The BJP returned to power for the third consecutive time in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday, winning 46 seats in the 60-member assembly and securing a majority.

Father died in a helicopter crash

Khandu's political journey began amid a personal tragedy. His father and former Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu died in a helicopter crash in 2011. Pema Khandu joined the Congress in the year 2000 and held various posts. He was elected unopposed in the assembly by-election as a Congress candidate from his father's constituency Mukto in June 2011. Pema Khandu became the minister of water resources development and tourism in the government of Chief Minister Nabam Tuki. His leadership scope grew rapidly after the constitutional crisis in January 2016 when President's rule was imposed in the state. When the central rule was lifted, he became a minister in the government led by BJP-backed Kalikho Pul. This government, however, lasted for a short time.

Khandu is the Chief Minister of Arunachal since 2016

The Tuki government was reinstated after the intervention of the Supreme Court, but Tuki resigned soon after. After this, Khandu became the Chief Minister in July 2016 at the age of just 37. Since taking over as the Chief Minister of this important state bordering China, Khandu and his cabinet have switched their party twice - from Congress to People's Party of Arunachal Pradesh (PPA) and then to BJP, that too in a span of just five months. Just three months into his tenure, 43 MLAs of the ruling Congress joined BJP's ally PPA. In 2019, Khandu won the Mukto assembly seat for the second time and became the Chief Minister without any political hindrance.

Fond of music and sports

Apart from politics, Khandu is known for his cultural contribution. He is a music lover and captivates the audience by singing songs of Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi in official functions. Sports is one of Khandu's other passions, in which he actively organizes cricket tournaments and supports local athletes and promotes talents in various sports including football, cricket, badminton and volleyball. A history graduate from Hindu College, Delhi, Khandu hails from the Monpa tribe, which mainly resides in Tawang and parts of West Kameng. 45-year-old Khandu, who follows Buddhism, has been elected unopposed from the Mukto seat of the border district of Tawang this time too.