In a major setback to BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, two ministers of the BJP government in Arunachal Pradesh, 12 sitting legislators and the party’s general secretary joined the National Peoples’ Party (NPP) on Tuesday evening.
Arunachal BJP general secretary Jarpum Gamlin, two ministers Kumar Waii and Jarkar Gamlin and 12 other sitting MLAs have met NPP national general secretary Thomas Sangma at Itanagar on Tuesday evening and joined the regional party.
In Arunachal Pradesh, Lok Sabha polls and state legislative assembly polls are being held simultaneously on April 11.
While Waii is the state home minister, Jarkar Gamlin is the tourism ministers of the state.
The saffron party has declared its list of 54 candidates for the assembly polls on Sunday and Gamlin, Waii, Jarkar were and several other sitting MLAs did not find their names in the list.
Jarpum sent his resignation to party president Tapir Gao on Monday morning.
Kumar Waii had earlier told media that he was deprived a ticket as chief minister Pema Khandu thinks Waii as a contender for the chief minister’s post.
Jarpum Gamlin and some of his supporters have been camping at the Hotel Taj Vivanta here in Guwahati since Monday night.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma met Gamlin and others in the hotel last night. Jarpum and the other leaders, who had joined NPP, returned to Itanagar on Tuesday.