Arunachal CM Pema Khandu: ‘Assembly poll win a historic moment … Mahaul was entirely for the BJP’

The son of a two-term Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister from the Congress, Pema Khandu entered the state Assembly for the first time in 2011, winning unopposed at the age of 32 following his father Dorjee Khandu’s death in a chopper crash.

Khandu took five years to become the CM but it took just a month for him to be disgruntled with the party. In 2016, he quit to join regional outfit People’s Party of Arunachal, an ally of the BJP. He was suspended from the Congress along with six MLAs. But Khandu proved to be a master strategist and he took along 43 MLAs to the BJP. Overnight, the BJP, which had 11 MLAs, became the largest party in the 60-member Assembly.

Hours after theBJP stormed back to power winning 46 of the 60 seats, Khandu speaks to The Indian Express about the mandate, the difference between the BJP and his former party Congress, and what the Centre has done to help the state.

Excerpts:

Were you expecting such a big mandate?

It is a historic moment for the BJP in Arunachal Pradesh. People have again placed their faith in the BJP. That reflects their genuine appreciation for all the work initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is an expression of people’s love for our honourable PM.

We were expecting such a victory because I could sense the issues faced by the people during my frequent travels through the state in the last eight years. Especially in winter, I am always on tour across the state. I could understand the problems on the ground and I could stitch together government schemes and policies accordingly. The mahaul (environment) was entirely for the BJP.

What were your main issues on the campaign trail?

As such there was no one particular issue. We gave ourselves challenges. It was a challenge to fulfil