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Arunachal Pradesh : Politics of opportunism |
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Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Gegong Apang’s return to the Congress does not come as a surprise. Ever since the defeat of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre in the Lok Sabha elections, he had been desperately trying to return to the Congress. Moreover, politics in the North-Eastern states almost always revolves around the Chief Ministers’ bid to stay close to the party in power at the Centre. This was precisely the reason why Apang, then heading a regional party called the Arunachal Congress, engineered defections in the Congress last year, toppled the Mukut Mithi government and joined the BJP. The announcement of the State Assembly elections on October 7 provided a perfect setting for Apang to announce his home-coming after a gap of eight years.
It would be premature to say to what extent Apang’s return would help the Congress’ prospects in the elections. The state Congress party president and former Chief Minister, Mukut Mithi, and Apang do not see eye to eye ever since the latter ousted the former in a dramatic coup last year. Mukut reportedly resisted Apang’s return to the Congress. It would be interesting to watch whether both would bury the hatchet now and jointly work for the success of the Congress in the ensuing elections.
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