Nabam Tuki Resigns as CM of Arunachal, Pema Khandu to Be Sworn In

Nabam Tuki resigned on Saturday after his request to defer the floor test was turned down by the acting governor.

A photo from the Congress Legislature Party meet. First from left is Pema Khandu and sitting next to him is Nabam Tuki)  (Photo Courtesy : Anjana Dutta)

Nabam Tuki resigned as Arunachal Pradesh’s chief minister (CM) on Saturday. Pema Khandu was elected as the new Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader and will be sworn in as the next CM. The floor test is likely to be delayed in light of the swearing in. The governor has accepted Tuki’s resignation.

The governor is yet to decide the oath-taking date, said Khandu in an ANI report. Khandu has claimed the support of 47 MLAs, including 45 Congress MLAs and two independent MLAs.

Arunachal Pradesh Governor Tathagata Roy had reinstated Nabam Tuki as the state Chief Minister following the Supreme Court judgment on Wednesday and asked him to take the floor test to prove the majority of his government in the House no later than Saturday.

Nabam Tuki submits his resignation to the governor. (Photo: ANI)

Tuki held a Cabinet meeting on Friday and appealed to the Governor to defer the session of the House by 10 days so that he gets reasonable time to prove his majority in the House.

Roy, however, asked Tuki to take the floor test on Saturday as scheduled.

Former Chief Minister Kalikho Pul, who dethroned Tuki in February this year with the help of a faction of dissident Congress legislators and BJP members, claimed that he has the support of 42 legislators in the 60-member house, whose effective strength is 58 now after two members resigned earlier.

Pul, who is camping in a hotel in Guwahati for the last two days with 42 legislators, also expressed fear that Tuki might try to resort to “horse trading” if more time was given for the floor test.

Pema Khandu, 37, is the son of late Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu. His father died in a helicopter crash in 2011. Pema became Cabinet Minister of Water Resource Development and Tourism in 2011. He is an alumnus of Hindu College, Delhi University.

(With inputs from IANS)