In modern times, saying that the election results are a foregone conclusion seems deeply pessimistic and mostly cynical. ‘Oh look, another person questioning the world’s largest (and greatest) democracy’. Yet, when EastMojo went live around 7 am today, the Arunachal elections and the verdict seemed a perfectly foregone conclusion. It was not ‘if’ Pema Khandu would return as the Chief Minister of Arunachal, rather, it was his victory margin that was the matter of debate.
But I was being neither pessimistic nor cynical. Instead, as a journalist, sometimes you learn things from the ground before they hit the headlines. Mind you, if I come across as someone claiming he knew of Khandu’s victory before anyone else, I apologise. I mean, in the race for 31 (the magic number for a majority in Arunachal), the BJP under Pema Khandu was starting with winning ten seats unopposed.
That said, at no point did it also seem like Khandu was being challenged; but I will not blame the opposition too much. Not yet.
You see, in the past five years, Khandu has not become a Chief Minister who is elusive; rather, whether it is inaugurating roads to regions that had never had all-weather roads, or becoming the first minister to reach Vijayanagar by road, his penchant for getting things done makes him both loved and respected in his state.
He has never been a loud CM, he has always been an active one. And in a state where the terrain never gets easy, this cannot be a negative thing I assume.
His focus on infrastructure in the state, the development of an airport that will serve the state for decades, the boost for tourism in the state through local festivals and, of course, the Ziro Festival, the push for hydropower projects, the Sarkar Apke Dwar scheme and several other initiatives have not gone unnoticed.
I found the idea of going paperless was perhaps the most fascinating, considering this was four years ago. E-Vidhaan, to me, represents a pivotal point in Digital India. Now, this is not to say that the Arunachal government does not have its critics; we would not be a functional democracy otherwise.
The APPSC scam remains a blot on the government, no doubt, but if anything, the extreme caution with which Khandu handled the issue showed his political acumen. As the son of Late Dorjee Khandu, I would expect him to have that in abundance. Instead of turning the protest into some witch-hunt by the opposition, Khandu acknowledged the issue and handled the matter in a way that, if anything, helped him emerge in a better light.
That said, anyone who thinks Khandu’s win translates into a comfortable tenure clearly does not understand Arunachal politics. The never-ending dispute between indigenous Arunachal residents and Chakmas and Hajongs resettled in Arunachal refuses to die, and delay helps neither side. Khandu has remained cautious; yet, he knows he is running out of time. We live in times where not a single northeast state is comfortable with the ‘influx’ of outsiders, and Arunachal is no exception.
Khandu is trying to champion both the environment and multi-crore hydropower projects; these issues rarely work together in harmony. His plan to bring in palm oil cultivation has also raised alarms among conservationists. But Khandu also knows that he can depend only so much on central funds; that at some point, Arunachal must learn to develop and sustain a healthy state economy.
And for that to happen, he has to invite investments that hire local talent. This sounds easier said than done in India’s frontier state, which may feature on the list of tourists but seldom on job-seeking sites.
Of course, no CM of Arunachal can really, truly forget about China, no matter how little the matter is in hands. In this case, Khandu’s close relationship with PM Modi, should, in theory, only be a good thing.
Now, please note that this is not my endorsement of how the BJP has handled, or manhandled, the issues with China. I am merely pointing out that having a CM who is trusted by the PM can’t be a bad thing for India, and certainly for Arunachal Pradesh.
This also explains why, when the CMs of Nagaland and Mizoram voiced their opposition to the end of FMR, Pema Khandu merely tweeted once in support of the decision and moved on. He may be the CM of India’s ‘furthest’ state, yet, he is never far from the corridors of power.
In April 2022, Sikkim CM PS Golay attended a cultural exchange programme on the special invitation of Pema Khandu. He took part in the religious, tourism and cultural programmes at the event, and both CMs promised to work together on cultural exchange, promoting tourism, and organic farming between the two states.
It is perhaps fitting that on a day when Sikkim CM PS Tamang made history by turning an election verdict into a cricket score (31/1), Khandu, a close friend of PS Tamang, emerged victorious too. In his calm, collected and politically astute manner.
This is why the Arunachal verdict was anything but a foregone conclusion, even though everyone knew the result.
Also Read: Sikkim: Golay’s SKM set to win second term with 31 of 32 seats