Arunachal Pradesh bypoll: BJP wins both seats

BJP has won both the seats in the bypolls held in Arunachal Pradesh, according to reports. With this BJP now has 49 MLAs in the 60 member assembly. 

In Pakke-Kasang, BJP candidate BR Waghe won by a narrow margin of 475 votes.  He was up against former deputy CM and Congress leader Kameng Dolo. The Pakke-Kessang fell vacant after the Gauhati High Court declared null and void the election of Kameng Dolo from the seat in 2014 following an election petition filed against him by BJP nominee and former minister Atum Welly. Welly had alleged that a fraudulent move had thrown threw him out of the election as the EC had accepted a forged letter of withdrawal of his candidature that led to election of his lone opponent. Welly, in his election petition earlier, had said that his signature was forged in the letter.

BJP candidate Kardio Nyigor has won from Likalbali. He got 3461 votes, while the Peoples Party of Arunachal managed only 3165 votes. The seat witnessed a  multi-cornered contest by Kardo Nyigyor (BJP), Modam Dini (Congress), Gumke Riba of Peoples Party of Arunachal and Independent candidate Sengo Taipodia. The Likabali seat had fallen vacant after the death of state health and family welfare minister Jomde Kena in September.

With PTI inputs