Just like at the national level where the Congress has fallen back on veteran leader Sonia Gandhi to lead the party in a difficult time, in Arunachal Pradesh too, the grand old party has appointed former chief minister and veteran leader Nabam Tuki to lead the Congress. The party also appointed Lombo Tayeng as the Congress Legislature Party leader. Tuki replaces former MP and one of the firebrand leaders of the party, Takam Sanjoy, as the APCC president. Both Sanjoy and Tuki are considered to be very loyal Congressmen who are deeply committed to the party’s ideology. They have never left the party and are hugely respected for sticking to one party.
In a state like Arunachal Pradesh, where politicians keep changing their party, leaders like Tuki and Sanjoy are very rare. However, both have different ways of working, and it will be interesting to see how Tuki manages to revive the Congress in the state. Right now the party is in doldrums. Most of its leaders have migrated to the BJP. Barring a few who are still committed to the party’s ideology, the majority have shifted allegiance to the saffron party. During the tenure of Sanjoy, the party had taken a very confrontational approach against the ruling BJP, and he was seen to be very effective as the opposition leader. However, the party badly lost the 2019 assembly election under his leadership, which forced him to resign, owning moral responsibility. Tuki is considered to be among the old school Congress leaders who mostly believe in taking everyone along. He is also believed to share a good equation with BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who were his colleagues during their time together in the Congress. The coming panchayat and municipal elections will be his first test.