The man who led Congress to a two-third majority in Arunachal Pradesh is a former army intelligence officer rewarded for his exploits during the Bangladesh war.
The man who led Congress to a two-third majority in Arunachal Pradesh is a former army intelligence officer rewarded for his exploits during the Bangladesh war and turned a social activist before joining politics.
The 54-year-old chief minister, who was with Indian Army Intelligence Corps for seven years and received a gold medal for his services, turned his attention to providing basic amenities to people in the state and only began his political career as an Anchal Samiti member in 1980.
Analysts feel it was his reach among the people that helped him replace powerful Gegong Apang as chief minister who had ruled the tribal state for 23 years.
In 1982, Khandu led a cultural troupe to ASIAD in Delhi from his home district Tawang that won a silver medal.
Khandu, a Buddhist with a little formal education, was elected uncontested to the Legislative Assembly of Arunachal Pradesh in March 1990 from Mukto constituency.
He was re-elected to the Assembly in March 1995 from the same constituency and was given the portfolio of minister of State for Cooperation.
In 1996, he was elevated to the Cabinet rank and given Animal Husbandry and Veterinary, Dairy Development department.
In 1999, he was again elected to the Legislative Assembly and became the Power minister.
Khandu revolted against Apang in 2007.
When the Congress high command first refused to accept Khandu as a replacement for Apang as chief minister of one of the few states where Congress is in power sans coalition, he went to New Delhi with most party legislators and stayed put for ten days till the AICC leaders relented.
After assuming the mantle of chief minister, he promised to reopen the state-owned APEX Cooperative bank having 32 branches across the state lying defuncts for two years after an over-Rs200-crore loan scam was unearthed.
Within a few weeks, Khandu secured a loan of Rs225 crore from central undertaking power major NHPC and injected it into the bank, enabling it to reopen much to the relief of lakhs of depositors who were mostly poor locals.
The Rs24,000-crore special package announced by prime minister Manmohan Singh here on January 31 last year made Khandu's popularity soar even further.
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