ITANAGAR, June 17: In a major political shift in Arunachal Pradesh, four sitting legislators of the National People’s Party (NPP) have joined the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA), bolstering the presence of the state’s lone regional party in the 60-member legislative assembly.
According to an official notification issued by Arunachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Tesam Pongte, the MLAs who switched allegiance are Namgey Tsering (Tawang), Pesi Jilen (Liromoba), Tapi Darang (Pasighat East), and Oni Panyang (Mariyang-Geku). The legislators had submitted their declarations to the Speaker on May 12, 2025, seeking recognition of their change in party affiliation.
With this development, the PPA now holds six seats in the assembly, emerging as a more significant regional force. In the 2024 assembly elections, the PPA had won only two seats, while the NPP had bagged five, becoming the second-largest party after the BJP.
Both the NPP and PPA are constituents of the BJP-led ruling coalition in the state. The BJP continues to dominate the assembly with 46 MLAs. Following the defection, the NPP is now left with only one MLA—Thangwang Wangham of Longding-Pumao, who also serves as the state unit president of the Meghalaya-headquartered party.
The Congress and NCP have one and three members respectively, while three MLAs are independents.
