HT Digital
ITANAGAR, JUNE 17: In a major political shift, four debut MLAs of the National People’s Party (NPP) have defected to the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), the sole regional political party in the state. This major addition significantly increases the PPA’s strength in the 60-member Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, a year after the 2024 state polls.
The defecting members of parliament—Namgey Tsering, Pesi Jilen, Tapi Darang, and Oni Panyang—played a key role in the NPP’s 2024 performance, where five seats were won by the party. Their defection increased the PPA’s count from two to six MLAs and left the NPP with only one legislator, Thanwang Wangham, who is also the state president of the party.
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The defections are significant especially since all four MLAs had won against formidable BJP contestants in the respective seats. Namgey Tsering defeated Tsering Dorjee in Tawang, Oni Panyang had beaten Olom Panyang in Mariyang-Geku, and Pesi Jilen and Tapi Darang had beat BJP veterans Nyamar Karbak and Kaling Moyong, respectively.
PPA chief and MLA Nabam Vivek welcomed the new members, claiming that they joined the party without any condition. “I thank the four MLAs for trusting our leadership. With six MLAs now, we can serve our constituencies better and streamline our development activities,” he claimed. Vivek also reiterated PPA’s unaltered support for the BJP-led government headed by Chief Minister Pema Khandu.
Tawang MLA Namgey Tsering explained the reason behind the change, saying the change was to consolidate a regional platform. “We have respect for the NPP, but we selected the PPA to advance regional interests. It’s too early to make guesses about joining the BJP—we neither got an offer nor are we switching sides,” he said.
The NPP was quick to respond to the defections. Paknga Bage, National General Secretary (Organisation), called the switching an unanticipated betrayal. “We supported such MLAs during their election campaigns and entrusted them with important responsibilities. Their exit, without any fault on the party’s side, is disappointing,” Bage said. Recognizing the internal task before it, Bage called party members to view the crisis as a chance for renewal. “Politics is dynamic. True leadership is about being strong during hardships. We now need to work on developing committed leaders within, instead of relying on outside faces,” he continued.
