LS polls: Arunachal West gears up for Rijiju-Tuki showdown

Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], April 18 (ANI): With the first phase of the elections to the Lok Sabha getting underway on Friday, April 19, the Arunachal Pradesh West constituency is drawing significant attention.
The main competitors for this seat are Kiren Rijiju from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Nabam Tuki from the Indian National Congress (INC). Kiren Rijiju, a prominent figure in Arunachal Pradesh politics, has held this seat since 2014. Meanwhile, Nabam Tuki, an experienced politician and former state chief minister, is the candidate representing the Congress.
In the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the seat was won by BJP's Kiren Rijiju. The BJP, which has a stronghold in the region, is hoping to maintain its winning streak.
In a recent interview with ANI Nabam Tuki, the Congress candidate for the Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat, expressed confidence about his party's chances in the upcoming election.
During his campaign travels, he found that people were unhappy as the promises made by the government have not been fulfilled. He feels that the public is dissatisfied and is looking for a change.
"There is anti-incumbency and there is a big question mark on performance as well. Wherever I visited, people expressed displeasure...The promises made by them have not been fulfilled. The public is displeased and is looking for change," he told ANI.
When asked about the absence of top leadership in Arunachal during the campaign, Tuki suggested that the central leadership should focus on states with more Lok Sabha seats, like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
"There are only 2 Lok Sabha seats here...I thought we should let central leadership work where Lok Sabha seats are higher in numbers, such as in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar," he said.
While discussing the Congress party's manifesto, Tuki mentioned that they have made several promises. The manifesto of the Indian National Congress (INC) includes five guarantees, such as Yuva Nyay, Naari Nyay, and Kisan Nyay, among others.
"We have made several promises in the manifesto. Some guarantees have also been given in the manifesto of the Indian National Congress (INC). There are 5 guarantees, which include Yuva Nyay, Naari Nyay, Kisan Nyay and others....Regular employment has been promised to be given to youths," he said.
Arunachal Pradesh has two parliamentary constituencies, Arunachal East and Arunachal West. The Assembly elections will be held concurrently with the Lok Sabha elections for these two seats in Arunachal on April 19. The votes will be counted on June 4. (ANI)