Four NPP MLAs shift to PPA in Arunachal Pradesh
ITANAGAR: Four legislators of the National People's Party (NPP) in Arunachal Pradesh have formally joined the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA), according to a notification issued by the State Legislative Assembly on Monday.
The switch, carried out under Rule 4 of the Members of Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly (Disqualification on Grounds of Defection) Rules, 1987, has been recorded in the Arunachal Pradesh Gazette.
The defecting legislators are Tawang MLA Namgey Tsering, Liromoba legislator Pesi Jilen, Tapi Darang from Pasighat East and Oni Panyang from the Mariyang-Geku constituency. All four had submitted fresh Form-III declarations on May 12, 2025, notifying their change of party affiliation from the NPP to the PPA. At the time of their election, all were NPP candidates.
The notification of the switch was issued by Assembly Speaker Tesam Pongte.
Founded in 1977, the PPA is the only recognised regional party in Arunachal Pradesh. With this development, its strength in the 60-member Assembly rises to six.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continues to dominate the Assembly with 46 MLAs. The NPP, which had won five seats in the 2024 Assembly elections, is now reduced to a lone representative—Longding-Pumao MLA and state NPP president Thangwang Wangham.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) holds three seats, while the Congress and independent candidates have one and three seats, respectively.
The defection marks a boost for the PPA, which shares ideological proximity with the ruling BJP. The move is expected to further consolidate the BJP-led coalition's influence in the state legislature.
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