Pema Khandu set to retain post as Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh

Pema Khandu will become the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the third term in a row, BJP sources said. Khandu was elected the BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting here on Wednesday.

BJP's central observers Ravi Sankar Prasad and Tarun Chugh attended the meeting. Khandu will stake claim to form the government later in the day, sources said.

It was earlier reported that The National People's Party (NPP) will extend support to the Pema Khandu government in Arunachal Pradesh. NPP Arunachal Pradesh unit president Thangwang Wangham said the party has accepted the people's mandate in the recently held state Assembly elections.

The NPP, led by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, which is an ally of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), will extend support to the Khandu government, Wangham said. "We accept the mandate given by the people," he said while assuring his party's commitment to keep the aspirations of the people alive in the state.

The ruling BJP had won 46 seats in the 60-member assembly, while the NPP bagged 5, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) won three, the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) won in two seats, Congress one seat and independent candidates won in three seats. The BJP also won both the Lok Sabha seats in Arunachal Pradesh, elections for which were held simultaneously with assembly polls in the state on April 19.