BJP Ministers, MLAs join NPP in Arunachal

The BJP is having a tough time in Arunachal Pradesh as two Ministers and six MLAs on Monday joined the National Peoples Party (NPP) and will contest in the Assembly election due next month.

Amongst them. the state home minister Kumar Waii and tourism minister Jarkar Gamlin while the six legislators were denied tickets by the BJP.

"We will not just fight the elections but will form an NPP government in the state," Waii vowed after joining the party.

Besides the eight BJP MLAs, a legislator of the Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA) and 19 other saffron party leaders also joined the NPP.

The NPP, which is ruling Meghalaya along with the saffron party as an alliance partner, has decided to field 40 candidates in the Arunachal Pradesh assembly polls which will be held simultaneously with Lok Sabha elections in the state.

The NPP will go it alone in the poll but NPP state unit spokesperson Mutchu Mithi, however, said the party might go for post-poll alliance if required. The party may field candidates in the Lok Sabha seat also.