Killed 2 days before counting, Arunachal MLA wins assembly seat
Itanagar, May 24: Tirong Aboh, the National Peoples Party (NPP) candidate who was gunned down by suspected NSCN militants, has retained the Khonsa West assembly constituency in Arunachal Pradesh.
Aboh, who was killed along with 10 others at 12 mile area in Tirap district on May 21, has defeated his lone rival Phawang Lowang of the BJP by 1055 votes as per results declared by the Election Commission Thursday.
This is the first time that NPP has entered the electoral scene of Arunachal Pradesh thanks to Aboh but its win will be short lived as the EC will soon announce the mandatory by-poll in the seat.
Aboh was elected from the constituency in 2014 on Peoples Party of Arunachal (PPA) ticket.
He was on his way to Khonsa from Dibrugarh on the fateful day when the suspected Naga militants opened fire on his convoy consisting four vehicles and killed him along with his son and nine others. Among the dead were two police personnel, officials said.
Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Liken Koyu said that the Election Commission has to conduct by-election in the seat within six months as per rules.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
