Tezu, Lohit district, Arunachal Pradesh witnessed a monumental gathering as Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, Arunachal Election Incharge Ashok Singhal, Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Arunachal CM Pema Khandu, MP Tapir Gao, and other dignitaries converged to campaign for Dr. Mahesh Chai, BJP candidate for Tezu Sunpura assembly constituency.
The massive rally, attended by thousands of enthusiastic citizens, rallied support for Tapir Gao, MP candidate for Arunachal East, and Dr. Mahesh Chai, who is contesting for the State Assembly poll. Tezu-Sunpura’s 44th assembly constituency holds significant importance in salvaging the image of the Arunachal BJP government, with Dr. Mahesh Chai poised as a strong contender against incumbent NPP MLA Karikho Kri.
In the 2019 elections, Dr. Mahesh Chai lost by a narrow margin of 150 votes to NPP MLA Karikho Kri, locally known as Bhaiya, amidst Tezu’s 70% non-tribal population, earning the town the moniker of ‘Mini India’ due to its ethnic diversity. The renewed candidacy of Dr. Mahesh Chai poses a formidable challenge to incumbent MLA Karikho Kri, who is once again contesting from the NPP party. However, the saffron party faced internal turmoil when its ticket, initially allotted to Badang Tayang, was abruptly reassigned to Dr. Mahesh Chai a week later, casting a negative shadow over the party.
CM Pema Khandu addressed the ticket controversy, pointing fingers at present MLA Karikho Kri for the chaos among BJP leaders. Kri initially resisted campaigning for any candidate other than Dr. Mahesh Chai upon the ticket reallocation but eventually commenced his campaign after the distribution of tickets.
