Pema Khandu is poised for another term as Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh after being re-elected as the BJP legislature party leader in the state. Khandu will meet Governor KT Parnaik to formally stake his claim to form the government. He, along with his cabinet colleagues, will be sworn in on Thursday morning, continuing his leadership in the state.
Senior BJP leaders Ravi Shankar Prasad and Tarun Chugh were dispatched as observers for the election of the legislature party leader in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Pema Khandu-led BJP secured a landslide victory in the recent assembly elections, winning 46 seats in the 60-member assembly. The National People’s Party (NPP) won five seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) secured three, the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) won two seats, Congress took one, and three seats went to Independent candidates. Although the NPP has offered its support to the BJP government, it is unlikely to receive representation in the new Cabinet.
Pema Khandu, born into a prominent political family in the Tawang district, completed his early education locally before attending the prestigious Hindu College in New Delhi. His political career began in earnest after the death of his father, Dorjee Khandu, in a helicopter crash in 2011. Elected unopposed to the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Mukto constituency, he succeeded his father’s position.
In 2016, Pema Khandu was sworn in as Chief Minister, succeeding Nabam Tuki. Initially leading a group of Congress legislators to defect to the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), he became Chief Minister under the PPA banner. By December of the same year, Khandu and his group rejoined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), solidifying his position as Chief Minister under the BJP leadership.
After the BJP’s resounding victory in the 2024 assembly elections, Khandu described it as a “historic day” for the state and the party. “This is a historic day for Arunachal Pradesh, especially for the BJP. The party set a new record in these Assembly elections…There is pro-incumbency in BJP. In 2019, we won 41 seats and in 2024 we won 46 seats,” he said.
“After the formalities of the party, we will stake our claim to form the new government. We are certain that we will win both the Lok Sabha seats of the state,” he added.