The ruling BJP has again nominated sitting Lok Sabha members Kiren Rijiju and Tapir Gao for the 2024 general elections. Rijiju will fight again from the Arunachal West parliamentary seat, while Gao will contest from the Arunachal East parliamentary constituency. Even though some leaders had applied for the tickets, it was clear that sitting MP and union minister Kiren Rijiju would be the party’s candidate from Arunachal West. Rijiju will be attempting to win for the fourth time. He is facing massive anti-incumbency, but the lack of strong candidates from the opposition is an advantage for him.
On the other hand, Gao will also face a massive anti-incumbency wave. His only saving grace is that the BJP is in power in the state, and usually candidates of the ruling party always have an advantage. The Congress has announced that former minister Bosiram Siram will be its candidate against Gao. This will be a fascinating contest. Siram is also a seasoned politician who will strongly fight Gao. Now that the distribution of tickets for the two MP contenders is done, the real fight for BJP tickets for the assembly elections will start. There are several claimants for BJP tickets for each assembly constituency. Chief Minister Pema Khandu during his recent tours announced that the BJP will field Phurpa Tsering from Dirang constituency and Taba Tedir from Yachuli constituency. However, there is still confusion about other constituencies, with many sitting MLAs and ministers also not sure about getting tickets. It will be interesting to see how the BJP deals with the situation in the coming days.