[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 5 Jan: The election for the posts of zilla parishad chairpersons (ZPCs) is going to be conducted in the state on 10 January.
The election will be held for ZPCs of 27 districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
The ruling BJP has named its candidates for 26 districts of the state. The saffron party has named 10 women candidates: Tang Yado (Papum Pare), Phurpha Droima (West Kameng), Pai Pizi Yangfo (East Kameng), Bake Yama (Kurung Kumey), Hibu Dumi (Lower Subansiri), Jyoti Sikom (Upper Subansiri), Api Kombo (Upper Siang), Ruth Tabing Boko (East Siang), Basanlu Yun Dellang (Lohit), and Chenumlu Mitti Khamblai (Anjaw).
The BJP has a majority in 23 districts and will most probably win the ZPC seats there. However, exciting elections are expected in Papum Pare and Upper Siang, where the ruling party does not have a majority. The lone regional party of Arunachal, the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), has decided to field candidates in both districts, and there will be a straight contest between the BJP and the PPA in Papum Pare and Upper Siang.
In Papum Pare, the BJP has eight zilla parishad members (ZPMs), while the PPA has six and the Congress has two. The Congress party will support the PPA. On the other hand, in Upper Siang, out of 10 ZPMs, the BJP and the PPA have won five each. The contest in both districts is tantalisingly poised.
Talking to this daily, Doimukh MLA and state PPA president Nabam Vivek said that Bamang Yayu and Tendy Lamo will be the party’s ZPC candidates for Papum Pare and Upper Siang, respectively.
“The PPA has decided to field ZPC candidates in both districts. Both BJP and PPA are equal in Upper Siang, while in Papum Pare, with the support of two INC ZPMs, the number is equal at eight each. As both parties do not have a majority, the ZPC will be decided by a draw of lots,” said Vivek.
In Keyi Panyor district, the NCP (Ajit Pawar), which won five ZPM seats out of a total of six, has named Nabam Piju as its ZPC candidate. Yachuli MLA and state NCP (Ajit Pawar) president Toko Tatung said the party has decided to give the ZPC ticket to a woman candidate, even though the seat was not reserved for women.
“Nabam Piju has the capability and ability to lead. We need more women leaders, and by giving her the ZPC ticket, we are doing women empowerment in the true sense. This is the message of progressive Keyi Panyor to the rest of the state,” said Tatung. He said also that all ZPMs unanimously agreed on her name.
In Changlang district, the BJP has named Remjung Jungli as its ZPC candidate. However, the BJP is short of a majority in the district and will need to rely on other parties to win. In Changlang, out of the total 15 ZPM constituencies, the BJP won only six seats. The NCP won two, the Congress won one, and six were won by independents. So far, the opposition camp has not announced its ZPC candidate for the district.
In Namsai district, the BJP has named Chow Sujana Namchoom as its ZPC candidate. Namchoom had lost the 2024 Assembly election from the Lekang Assembly constituency to Likha Soni of the NCP.
The state BJP leadership remains tight-lipped about its prospects in Upper Siang, Papum Pare, and Changlang. State BJP chief Kaling Moyong did not respond to calls and WhatsApp messages regarding the party’s prospects in the three districts.
“In Upper Siang and Changlang, we are trying to convince members of other parties to support the BJP candidate. But things are a bit complicated in Papum Pare,” said a BJP leader who did not wish to be named.
