LS polls: Ex-Arunachal CM Tuki to take on Rijiju

Itanagar: The Congress in Arunachal Pradesh has decided to field former Chief Minister Nabam Tuki against BJP leader and Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju in Arunachal West seat in the Lok Sabha elections.

Tuki's name features in the list of 27 candidates released by the Congress on Saturday night. Besides, former Arunachal Pradesh Minister James Lowangcha Wanglet has been fielded from Arunachal East constituency.

Rijiju represents the Arunachal West Lok Sabha seat while senior Congress leader Ninong Ering represents the Arunachal East constituency. 

While Tuki was the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh between 2011 to 2016, Wanglet had in the past served the state as Home, Finance and Civil Supplies Minister. 

Wanglet, who hails from the royal family known as the Lowang's of Namsang-Borduria, is the founding general secretary of Peoples' Party of Arunachal, a regional political party.

He was elected four times to the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

Tuki, a seasoned politician, replaced Jarbom Gamlin as the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh on November 1, 2011 and continued till January 2016. 

However, after a political crisis in 2016, the President's Rule was imposed ending his tenure as the Chief Minister.