Congress names nominees for two Arunachal Pradesh Lok Sabha seats

ITANAGAR: The Congress on Tuesday named former Arunachal Pradesh CM Nabam Tuki and former home minister James Lowangcha Wanglat in Arunachal West and Arunachal East Lok Sabha constituencies respectively.

While Tuki is likely to face a tough contest from Union MoS for home and BJP's likely candidate from Arunachal West seat Kiren Rjiju, Wanglat is likely to face former MP Tapir Gao (BJP) in Arunachal East.

The party leadership dropped former Union minister and sitting MP from Arunachal East constituency Ninong Ering and replaced him with James Lowangcha Wanglat.

The state will witness simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections on April 11.

Though Tuki did not apply for a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha election, the party nominated him in view of his popularity among the masses, sources said. The Pradesh Congress Committee had recommended the names of Tuki, Jarjum Ete, Khyoda Apik and Geli Ete for the Arunachal West Parliamentary constituency but the party's central leadership chose Tuki.

Tuki was first elected to the assembly in 1995 from the Sagalee constituency and served as the deputy agriculture minister in the Gegong Apang ministry. He also served as transport and civil aviation minister in 1998. He was re-elected to the assembly in 1999 from the same constituency and became a cabinet minister with the environment and forest portfolio in the Mukut Mithi ministry.

Wanglat had served the state as home, finance and civil supplies minister under various chief ministers. He was elected to the assembly four times. He contested the Khonsa North seat as a PPA candidate in the 1978 election but could not win. In the 1990 election, Wanglat won the Borduria-Bogapani seat as as a Janata Dal candidate.