Amid Continuous Political Exodus, Former Arunachal Pradesh CM Nabam Tuki Resigns As Congress State President

Former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki has stepped down from his position as the president of the state Congress amidst a wave of defections to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.

Tuki's resignation, submitted to the All India Congress Committee on 8 March, follows the defection of three Congress MLAs to the BJP, dealing a blow to the party's strength in the state.

Speaking on the matter, APCC general secretary Gyamar Tana stated that Tuki resigned on moral grounds, citing his inability to prevent the defection of MLAs to other parties.

The recent defections include Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Lombo Tayeng, a long-serving MLA from Mebo in East Siang district, who joined the BJP earlier this month.

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This move, along with the defection of two other Congress MLAs, Ninong Ering and Wanglin Lowangdong, has significantly reduced the Congress's representation in the state assembly.

With these defections, the Congress, which previously held four seats in the 60-member Assembly, is now left with only one MLA, Nabam Tuki.

The BJP's strength in the assembly now stands at 55 seats, with additional representation from allied parties and independent members.

Also, less than a week after the BJP unveiled its initial list of 195 candidates, the Congress has responded by releasing a list of 39 contenders, featuring prominent figures such as Rahul Gandhi, Shashi Tharoor, and Bhupesh Baghel.

However, notable was the absence of candidates from Arunachal Pradesh, despite many Northeast states being included, leaving political analysts speculating on the party's strategy.

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