Arunachal Pradesh’s People's Party of Arunachal Pradesh (PPA) lost 33 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday afternoon. A statement to that effect was made by the BJP.
Among the 33 MLAs is the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu, who had quit the Congress to join PPA in September this year.
Khandu and Deputy CM of Arunachal was suspended from the PPA on Friday. The shift has effectively provided a majority to BJP in a Congress stronghold.
Thirty-three MLAs of the PPA joined us today (Saturday). It will be a strong BJP government now.Tapir Gao, Arunachal BJP President
Khandu to Remain CM
After suspending Khandu on Friday, the PPA had decided to name Takam Pario as the CM while the party was still in majority.
However, Gao said now that the BJP government has majority support in the 60-member Arunachal assembly and Khandu would continue as the Chief Minister. Asked about the remaining PPA MLAs, including the richest legislator Pario, Gao said:
It is for them to decide what they have to do. There will be no separate claim to form the government as the BJP has formed the government automatically.
PPA May Take Legal Action
However, PPA president Kafha Bengia said that the merger was "illegitimate" and that he would seek legal action.
"We will move a court against those MLAs who have joined the BJP," Bengia said.
Khandu, who was suspended from the PPA along with six MLAs on Thursday, had quit the Congress along with 43 party MLAs to join the regional party in October.
(With inputs from IANS)
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