[ Tongam Rina ]
PASIGHAT, 11 Apr: With the stage set for the 19 April elections, the BJP has started on a strong wave with 10 of its candidates already declared elected unopposed. Only the candidates know what must have been put on stake to secure such victories.
In a state like ours, the unopposed election of caretaker Chief Minister Pema Khandu is understandable, given that any other constituency would have sent back a candidate who was likely to be the chief minister again. So is the case with Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, one of the most powerful politicians in the state and contender for the top post.
With factions within the BJP in the state, and a lot of money, and the central BJP leadership and the RSS increasingly extending their influence in the state’spolitics, as seen in the recent distribution of party tickets to its candidates, either one of them, or both,may be caught off guard.
But for now, Khandu is being projected as the chief ministerial candidate by the BJP.
All is valid in electoral politics, and at the end of the day, it’s the numbers that matter and how that magic number is garnered, even if it means depriving the electorate of a chance to cast their votes. At the same time, it is also valid to ask how fair elections are where people are deprived of a chance to directly elect their representatives. It’s not for just a few days or months. It’s for a period of five long years.
Is it even valid to call it elected unopposed when there was no voting to start with? It definitely calls for no celebration. However, in Arunachal, such elected unopposed candidates are being celebrated by politicians. While politics is all about making the most of a situation, it is not necessarily a victory for the electorate. Depriving the voters of a chance to vote is not a healthy sign of democracy. Why did the People’s Party of Arunachal recall the candidate from the race in Ziro? It cited “credibility” as the cause of the withdrawal of Tapi Mali’s candidature. This is the same messy party, dubiously known as the parking party of Arunachal for obvious reasons. Therefore, it is interesting to note that it cited credibility as the reason for recalling the ticket.
Two other independent candidates had also filed their nominations.
In the Chowkham constituency, the Congress candidate, Bayomso Kri, withdrew his nomination at the last moment, sending Chowna Mein to the legislative assembly for a record 7th term.
The Itanagar constituency witnessed a similar sequence of events. Tai Tadap, the NPP candidate, did not come back to defend the objections he had raised during the nomination process. The Congress, too, had named a candidate.
In Arunachal, the BJP remains the BJP’s main opposition party, with the Congress backing out from several constituencies. The Congress had initially announced 34 candidates, but after scrutiny, only 19 remained.
Takam Pario, once a powerful Congress leader, meekly joined the BJP after his name was cleared by the Congress as its Palin candidate.
The National People’s Party had announced the names of 29, but eventually managed to field only 20.
Sending politicians to the legislative assembly without an election is not a new trend, nor is enticing voters and opposition candidates. Ten years ago, 11 Congress MLAs had been sent to the legislative assembly without having been directly elected. As in the recent trend, they had been sent elected unopposed. Those elected unopposed Congress candidates in 2014 included current Chief Minister Pema Khandu, and Takam Pario. Parties have changed, but the people are the same.
In 2024, of the 10 constituencies where there was no voting, six showed single nominations, while four showed withdrawal of opposition candidates. Ratu Techi of Sagalee, Jikke Tako of Tali, Nyato Dukam of Taliha, Mutchu Mithi of Roing, and Pema Khandu from Mukto faced no opposition, at least on paper. In Bomdila, the NPP’S Japu Deru withdrew, sending Dongru Siongju to the legislative assembly for a second term. The Congress’ Bafutso Krong withdrew in Hayuliang against Dasanglu Pul, now a third-term MLA. Ratu Techi and Hage Appa, both new to the party, are retired government engineers, known as one of the most lucrative government jobs in the state.
Politics in Arunachal is such that one does not decide overnight to stand for elections, nor do they decide to withdraw at the last moment. People, unless one is born into families where politics is career, spend years cultivating electorates, so withdrawal at the last moment usually involves enticement, cash, and lots of promises and pacts. Sometimes, standing for elections also has the same motivation of pacts and enticements. All these are clear signs that there is the least respect for voters even in a democracy where numbers matter. Once there are no opponents, it is game over officially. But is it really democracy? No. If given a chance to vote, it won’t be surprising if many opt for none of the above, or not voting for the one declared elected unopposed. Sadly, there are no such provisions.
